Coming Home
by white pedal
Summary: After Joey gets badly beaten up one night, Tristan accuses Joey's father for his injuries after he is arrested. When Serenity finds out she heads to Domino to help her brother and get justice, but soon the Wheeler siblings and Tristan discover secrets in their family that no one has told them. Especially one about Serenity. Outlined by Autobot00001
1. Confrontation

_**I wanted to do this story for a long time since I love the Wheeler siblings bonding in yugioh:) and this will be based on "Seeing you for the Last time","Words of Encouragement", "Coming Clean", "Broken Reflection" and "How Are you?" all stories star the Wheeler siblings in order for this saga. This also takes place after Yugioh: The Dark Side of Dimensions, so spoiler alert for this story if you have not seen it.**_

 _ **Enjoy:)**_

* * *

It was eleven PM in Domino city. Everything was quiet, except for a dog barking and howling and the Summer wind blowing over cans in the side walk.

In an apartment complex near by steps out Joey Wheeler. He was third place in the KC grand championship, third place winner of Battle city, and second place winner of Duelist kingdom. He was tall, had dirty blonde hair, brown eyes that held warmth, humor and is a recent graduate from Domino high.

But unlike other high school graduates, Joey was already living on his own in his own apartment he bought with Tristan, but Joey's reason for his early independence was due to circumstance.

He and Tristan had jobs to pay the rent, Tristan was working as a mechanic and Joey was continuing to work for Duke's dad as a mascot for his store, but soon he will be traveling a lot to different tournaments across the country and the world to earn money and achieve glory as he dreamed of doing since Yugi taught him how to duel. As for Tristan, Joey was going to put the apartment in his name so Tristan would own it and soon Tristan will be getting a full time position at the mechanics so he can pay the bills with no issues.

However, Joey was not all that happy.

The young man walked in the ally to clear his head from stress. He was worried about something that was in the back of his mind for a while since he moved, and his thoughts included his little sister, Serenity.

When they were children, their parents divorced and their mother took custody of Serenity and Joey was left with his father. They kept in contact for six years but did not see eachother in person during that period, the only thing they were able to do was send pictures of eachother as they grew and send letters and secret phone calls without either parent knowing. Soon they reunited when Joey paid for his sister's eye operation when she was about to go blind due to a rare eye disease she had since birth, and it has made Joey the happiest he has ever been in his whole life to see his sister again and saved her sight and future.

After Battle city they continue to keep in contact, and now Serenity and Joey are able to visit each other from time to time with the consent of their mother. Of course it's been a while since their last communication since school kept them busy as Joey graduated and was preparing for his upcoming tournament and Serenity is finishing her first year of high school, but Joey is hoping this Summer they can be together again.

But that wasn't the only thing that was stressing the young man out. While he desperately wanted to see her again, there was something important that he had to tell Serenity. He was dreading on it, but he knew he had to tell her eventually, especially when it's been going on for a long time.

Joey held his head in frustration, _"Aww man, how am I gonna tell Serenity about this!?"_ he yelled in his mind, _"I kept this from her for a long time! But I did it to protect her and I didn't want her getting hurt or the get the police involved!"_

Joey was at a loss, he wasn't sure what to do. The teen sighed and took a breath, "...She's gonna be mad at me when she finds out." he said out loud.

Joey started to hear echo's of someone hiccuping from the other side of the alley, "Huh?' Seconds later, a man stumbled from the shadows. He was a man in his mid thirties with ruffled dirty blonde hair and a stubby beard, blood shot red eyes and a stained white tank top with green camouflage pants with black boots.

The man stumbled and kept his balance with one hand on the wall and the other hand holding a beer bottle as he hiccuped again.

"...Dad?" Joey finally said.

His father, Jordan Wheeler, looked up and was surprised at first then he gave his son a blood shot glare, "Boy...hic...D-Didn't...expect to find you here," Jordan hiccuped again, "Haven't seen you...since you left me."

Joey glares at the older man, "Looks like you came out of Jimmy's again, no surprise since you go there on Wednesday nights. I didn't know I moved close by to your hang out, I probably should have learnt more info about this area before moving here."

"Shut up!" Jordan snapped and hiccuped again, " What I do is none of your damn business!"

"...You're right...I stopped caring the day I moved out!" Joey said hotly, "I should have stopped caring for you a long time ago in Middle school and left you right then and there after ma and Serenity left years ago. I tried to stop you from going down in flames from your drinking and gambling and help you get back on your feet so we could be a family again...but I should have known there was no saving you and I lost my dad the day he started drinking."

Jordan started to get angry and snapped at the younger man as he slammed his beer bottle to the ground, alcohol spilling everywhere on the pavement, "You...think you would save me!? Are you kidding me boy!? If anything you ruined everything for me the day you were conceived along with your bitch sister with her eye problems! You two drained me of all I had! I was left with nothing because of the two of you!"

Joey started to snap after Jordan's comment about Serenity. Joey didn't care about what his father said about him, but Serenity was off limits, "Call Serenity that again and I'll knock your lights out! And we suffered having to put up with you! We had to grow up to see you drink and gamble our money away and picked fights with strangers all the time, and ma couldn't take it anymore and that's why she left you! I had to get a job in Elementary school, Middle school and High school to pay for your drunk ass and so I can get through school! What do you have to complain about when you haven't had a job in almost nine years when I was the one who lost everything and tried to bring this family back together and pay the bills!?"

Jordan punched Joey, and the young man tumbled back but held his balance. Jordan hiccuped, "Shut up! You don't know anything!"

Joey glared at his father and wipes his mouth. This was nothing new to Joey, it was always like this since he was little. His dad hitting him, berating him, all the painful memories of his childhood came back, but he wasn't going to take it anymore.

"...Go home, you're drunk. And I hope that I never see you again. I told you the day I left that you're on your own, you can't hurt me anymore." Joey hissed and walked away.

Jordan, hiccuping again, growled at his sons words, clenched his fists.

"Why you!..."

* * *

At the Turtle gaming shop, Tristan was trying to get a hold of Joey on his cellphone. He went by to Yugi's place to see how he was doing since Joey went on his walk, since Yugi was preparing to go to Domino's college of technology, Tristan wanted to congratulate him before Yugi leaves in two weeks.

Tea called Yugi from New York to congratulate as well and told him she wished him luck on his goal to owning a gaming company when he leaves for college, and suggested when she comes back to Domino for Summer vacation that they should all take a trip together. Afterwards, Tristan and Yugi ordered pizza and drinks and that was when Tristan decided to call Joey so he can come over for their mini party.

However, Tristan did not get a respond as Joey's phone was picked up by his phone's answering message.

 _"This is Joey Wheeler, third time finalist and godfather of games. When you hear the beep, start talking!"_

When the beep went off, Tristan answered, "Hey Joey, it's Tristan again. You haven't been answering your phone all night and we're starting to get worried. Call me as soon as you get this." then Tristan hung up.

Yugi looks at the brunette, "Still no answer, huh?" Yugi asked.

Tristan shook his head, "No, It's been that way for three hours since he left our apartment hours ago."

Yugi began to worry, "It's not like Joey to be late like this and not answer his phone. I wonder what he's doing?"

Tristan gulped down his soda, "Hopefully he didn't get into a fight, a lot of thugs and goons are usually out that this hour. He told me he needed to clear his head."

Yugi blinked, "Clear his head? About what?"

"Well we were moving our stuff into the apartment, and I talked to him about how me and my dad got into a fight when I quit working at his factory and how he said he would disown me if I walked away from the family business to work as a mechanic. Next thing I knew Joey was quiet and told me he needed to think."

Yugi blinked more, still confused, "Really?"

"Pretty much," Tristan answered, "And there was also something else."

"Something else?"

"Yeah, he mentioned how he was a bit sad that Serenity didn't come to graduation."

Yugi's eyes widened, "Oh yeah! I haven't seen Serenity either. I thought that she'd want to be there for her brother's graduation, and I don't think their mom showed up either." Yugi realized.

Tristan's face suddenly darkened, "...Maybe that's why Serenity couldn't come."

Yugi looked at Tristan, "What do you mean?"

Tristan's cellphone went off, thinking it was Joey finally answering his phone, he picks it up and answers, "Hey man, it's been three hours, where are you!?" Tristan scolded.

 _"Hello, is this Tristan?"_ A male voice answered on the other side.

Tristan blinked, "Huh? Who is this? Why do you have Joey's phone?"

 _"I'm officer Jefferson, I'm calling since you are the only contact that's answered me on Mr. Wheeler's phone."_

"Officer?" Tristan questioned, then he went wide-eyed, "What happened!? Is Joey in jail!? Did he get into a fight!?" Tristan demanded.

 _"Mr. Wheeler was in a fight...but he isn't in jail...he's in Domino hospital on life support."_

* * *

 _ **End of chapter one.**_


	2. Accusations and Cries of the Red Eyes

_**Chapter 2, enjoy:)**_

 _ **I don't own Yugioh or the characters, just the plot and headcanons.**_

* * *

The speed Tristan was going on his motorcycle went past the limit. He and Yugi were rushing past cars with their horns honking angrily at them, cursing them as they drove. Tristan didn't care, Joey was more important than anything else in the world at this point.

Yugi was holding on tightly, worried he and Tristan might get into an accident because of the speed, he yells out to Tristan, "Tristan! Slow down!"

Tristan didn't answer, but Yugi didn't press to ask again. Like Tristan he was more concerned for Joey's well-being, what happened to Joey? Who did he get into a fight with at the alley? How serious are his injuries? Many things were racing through the young man's mind.

 _"Joey.."_ Yugi thought sadly.

Tristan's eyes were ahead of the road, with only one thing on his mind, _"Please be okay, Joey!"_

After a few more turns, they arrive at the hospital. After parking his bike quickly, Tristan jumps off his motorcycle and ran in in. Yugi ran after him inside, they wasted no time and went to the front desk where the secretary got off the phone and saw the two young men.

"Oh hello there, can I help you?" she asked.

"We're looking for Joey Wheeler! We just got a call from a police officer that he's here!" Tristan exclaimed.

The secretary blinked and then remembered the patient that was brought in by the ambulance, "Oh yes, let me see." and she starts to check her computer.

While Tristan and Yugi wait, the secretary finds Joey's file, "He's in room 208, second floor."

"Thank you, mam!" Yugi says.

Tristan and Yugi take off running, and take the elevator to the second floor. Seconds later, they stop at the second floor and run to room 208, but six police officers where also near the room as one of them spoke to two men. One police officer had short auburn hair covered with his police hat, had brown eyes and was tall, soon his attention went to the youth's that just ran up to him and the doctor.

He turns to their direction, "Is one of you Tristan Taylor?" The officer asked.

Tristan came forward quickly, "I am! Where's Joey?!"

He's inside, but the doctors don't want anyone in right now, they want to make sure Mr. Wheeler gets into stable condition. I'm officer Jefferson, I was the one who called you." Officer Jefferson introduced himself.

"What exactly happened to him, officer Jefferson?" Yugi asked, "we were told he was in a fight."

Officer Jefferson nodded, " Yes, we got a call from two witnesses who saw Mr. Wheeler arguing with a man whom we later identified as his father, Jordan Wheeler, and that Jordan punched him in the face. A few minutes later, the other witness from the same area found Mr. Wheeler when he was beaten unconscious and told the first witnesses to call the police and the ambulance. They concluded that his father had beaten him moments after punching him."

Tristan's eyes widened and was starting to breath heavily when he heard Jordan's name, his anger rising almost to full blown, "Was it really his father who did this?"

"We believe so. He wasn't at the scene when we arrived, but we later found him passed out in his apartment from drinking. He doesn't remember anything, but we can assume that he was responsible for his son's injuries according to the witnesses testament. They also claim to know Jordan Wheeler as well."

Officer Jefferson moves away to reveal the two witnesses, one was in his his mid thirties wearing a green beanie, a brown and green checkered shirt with a black tank top underneath that was stained and was wearing brown pants that were sagging. He had pale skin, a long face, a long nose with pale blue eyes and long curly dark hair. The second witness was in his forties, however he was taller and had tanned skin, a long buzz cut that almost resembles Tristan's and had a five o' clock shadow and brown eyes. He wore a red over shirt with a white tank top and a pair of jeans.

Yugi and Joey stared at the men, then Tristan spoke up, "Is it true what you saw!? Do you think his dad did this to Joey?" he questioned.

The taller man scratches the back of his head and sighs, "While we never saw it, Barret saw the verbal fight between them and when the old man punched him. And a few minutes later when I came out, I saw the poor kid bloodied and I called nine one one."

The other man, Barret, nodded, "Yeah, it was real nasty between them. And Jordan Wheeler has a reputation of being violent in the area where we hung out, for years Able and I heard rumors about his gambling addiction, fighting other people and it was no secret that he has a drinking problem, since most of the fights he starts are because he was drunk."

Yugi frowned as he heard what Barret was telling them, "I see."

Able stopped scratching the back of his head, "That's not all. We also heard he was a lousy husband and father, and that his wife divorced him and left him one day, though we never knew he still had one kid with him until the guy Joey Wheeler became this famous duelist across the globe, that's when we learnt he was his kid. I'm surprised he had custody of him after all the things he did, but hey even the court system can be corrupted...no offense officer."

"None taken...I think?" Officer Jefferson said in a questionable tone to Able's statement.

"What happened though? What went on between him and his dad?" Tristan asked them.

Barret spoke, "I went outside to take a leak after six beers, then I started hearing loud voices. It was Jordan talking a young guy who resembled him, it was only when he called Jordan that I realized he was his son, as they fought his son yelled how his dad ruined his childhood with his drinking and how he should have left him years ago like his mom did, and in turn Jordan said he and his sister ruined his life, one thing led to another and Jordan punched him...but your friend told him to go home and that he never wanted to see him again and he walked away."

Tristan and Yugi looked at eachother in bleak confusion, and they turned back to the two men, "And then what happened?" Yugi asked.

Barret shook his head, "Afraid I don't know that, when he walked away from his old man I thought it was the end of it, and I went back inside."

"And that's when I came out for a cigarette a few minutes later," Able started, "As I smoked, I heard groaning noises. At first I thought it was someone who had one to many and was throwing up, but as it got louder I went to check. And the sight I saw...I am amazed this kid made it out alive. The bruises, gashes and the blood...that's when I got Barret to call the ambulance while I made sure the poor kid was still breathing, and here we are."

Tristan was speechless, while Yugi spoke, "And that's when you accused Jordan Wheeler of doing it?"

"I believe so," Barret answer, "After hearing what your friend said to him, and the obvious hate that he had for his old man and the mutual hate he had for his son, coupled with the fact that Jordan is a violent drunk...he probably came after him to finish what he started. I mean he was the only one with him around the time he was attacked, and he sounded like he wanted to beat him badly after the fight."

Tristan started to shake, and Yugi nodded at them, "Thank you for telling us what happened guys, we appreciate it."

"No problem kid," Able says, then he blinks as he looks closer at him, "H-hey wait a minute, aren't you Yugi Motou? The king of games?"

Yugi blinked and flushed a bit as he sheepishly smiles, "Uh, yeah I am."

Able smiles, "My daughter's a big fan of yours...say, mind if I get your autograph so I can give it to her?"

As Yugi gave the man his autograph, Barret looks at Tristan with a sad but enthusiastic look, "We're sorry this happened to him, but try to have faith alright? He seems like a tough guy that can get through it."

The officers let Berret and Able leave, while Tristan clenched his fists. His anger burning inside as he replays Barret and Able's story over again in his mind, and each time was worse than the last. Tristan feared this would happen, ever since he found about Joey's father in Middle school and how he often drank and gambled their money away, as well as the knowledge that Jordan sometimes beat Joey and lock him out of their apartment, each time Joey went home Tristan was scared that Jordan would get drunk and end up going ballistic on Joey. And it looks like the day has come, but what makes it worse is that it happened when Joey finally managed to escape from that drunk brute, has Joey escaped to late?

Jefferson spoke out, "Well regardless what happened, we're pressing charges on Jordan for assault since he got into another fight last night, what he did to his son will be a charge added and he's being held downtown right now. There'll be a court case in a month, and we'll decide his fate then. If his son survives he can face a few months in jail, but if Joseph's doesn't survive...Jordan Wheeler will face life in prison."

Just then, a doctor came out of Joey's room as he straightened his glasses. Tristan and Yugi turned their heads, "Is he alright, doctor?!" Yugi asked in concern.

The doctor nodded his head, "Mr. Wheeler is still unconscious, but for now he's stable. Are you two friends of his?"

"Yes, we are." Yugi answered with concern and relief in his voice.

"Would you like to see him?" The doctor asked.

Tristan quickly answered, "Please!"

Tristan and Yugi head into the room and what they saw shocked them both. Joey was wearing a hospital mask with tubes stuck into his arms with the machine beeping, his heart rate was a bit slow but he was still breathing. But what caught their attention was the cuts on his arms and legs, the bruises and how he had casts on one arm and leg, his face was swollen and was purple and blue with dry blood that the doctors were trying to clean. Joey's eyes were shut and he had a bandage that was around his head with a neck brace.

Tristan was horrified and he felt like he was about to throw up, "Oh my god…"

Yugi's eyes were starting to water, "...Joey..."

They went to different sides of Joey's bed as Jefferson looked at them with a heart broken look, "I had better get back to the station to file the report. I'll contact you as soon as I can to let you know when court begins so you can testify against his father."

Tristan turns his head to look at Officer Jefferson, "Thank you, officer."

Jefferson cleared his throat, "...I've heard about Joey Wheeler before, you know. He has a bit of a record with us from Middle school, but seeing how you care about him, couple with the fact he won three million dollars for his sister, he seem like a good lad."

Yugi replies as he held Joey's hand, "He has a strong heart. While he can be rough around the edges, he is the best friend I can ever have."

Tristan was silent, then he spoke, "And he was like a brother to me..."

Officer Jefferson looks at them, "Hopefully he's strong enough to survive this."

As Officer Jefferson was leaving, his mind was uttering a little prayer for Joey.

 _"God, have mercy on this poor boy."_

Back in Joey's room, Tristan was shaking and he ended up punching the wall next to him. It startled Yugi.

"Tristan!" Yugi exclaimed.

Tristan was growling, "This is Jordan's fault…"

"You don't know that for sure, Tristan," Yugi says, "While I'm not ruling out Joey's dad as the culprit, can we really be certain Able and Berret's story is accurate? What if it was someone else who did this to Joey? The bar that his dad hangs out has a lot of shady people there, anyone of them could have done this."

Tristan looks at Yugi with flashing eyes, "It's gotta be Jordan!" Tristan exclaims hotly, "He's never liked Joey his entire life and he's always been a drunk, even before his mom left him! Joey had to get jobs while in school just to keep a roof over their heads while his dad worked him like a mule and drinking and gambling their money away! And now that Joey's left him, he wanted to take it out on him because Joey was always the cash cow! This is what I was afraid would happen if he never got away from Jordan! Damn it! And just when Joey was about to start his own life to and no longer had to pay for that bastard's debts. Yugi! You heard what they told us and what Jordan said to Joey before he got hurt, this isn't the first time his dad hurt him like this so there is no question in my mind he did this! Now our best friend is fighting for his life because of his stupid old man! I should go to the police station and tear him apart myself! Whether he goes to jail or not, I want him to pay for this!"

Yugi became alarmed at Tristan's anger, "Doing that won't help Joey, Tristan! You know that! It'll only make things worse! For you, and for Joey! The police already have his father in custody, all we can do now is wait till the trial to convict him if he is guilty."

Tristan lowered his head. He knew Yugi was right, getting angry and fighting will only make matters worse. Jordan was already in custody and Tristan knew that the law could handle him now. Jordan wiggled his way out of going to jail before, but Tristan is grateful that this time he won't get away with what he's done this time, "I know…" he replies softly.

Yugi nods, "The best thing we can do is stay strong for Joey."

Tristan looks at Joey, and a few moments later, he started crying.

* * *

In the city of Boston, at the Four seasons hotel, news of Joey Wheeler's assault and hospitalization spread after six hours to the news forecasters. In a room in the hotel, a woman was drinking Champagne while sorting her deck.

She placed Harpy lady sisters on the table and combined it with Rose whip, soon she started getting more idea's.

"Hmmm, maybe if I place Harpy's pet dragon on the field, and after I combine the Harpy lady sisters with Rose whip...I can combine Harpy's pet dragon with Harpy lady and get Harpy dragon riders?...Hahahahahaha! Impossible, two sisters on one dragon?! But I can try...there is nothing I can't do." she says smirking as she drinks her champagne.

The T.V. went from the fashion network to the news.

 _ **"We have breaking news! Our top story tonight in Domino city, Third place champion duelist, Joey Wheeler, has been rushed to the hospital with life threatening injuries! Resources tell us that when he was out for a walk, he was attacked by a man who was identified as his estranged father, Jordan Wheeler. While Joey Wheeler is on life support, Jordan Wheeler has been taken into custody and will be awaiting trial within a month to see if he was the perpetrator to Joey Wheeler's assault. We also got word that Joey Wheeler is now in stable condition but we cannot tell for certain if he will fully recover. Up next..."**_

The woman drops her champagne on the floor and rose from the bed with her velvet eyes were wide in horror. Her Harpy lady sisters card and Harpy's pet dragon fell on the ground.

"...No...Joey...It can't be!"

* * *

Outside of Jimmy's, Able and Berret were hanging out beside the door of the bar. Able was smoking while Berret came out to find a place to urinate after eight beers.

Able let out a puff of smoke, "What a crappy night."

Berret finally found a spot to urinate, "Yeah, that poor kid beaten like that...and by his own father none the less." and he unzips his pants.

Able sighs and shakes the burnt end of his cigarette, "Yeah...are you sure it was his dad who beat him like that, Berret? Your stories aren't always that accurate."

Berret turns his head with a look of betrayal, "Come on man! You know that I usually get things right! And I know I'm not wrong about this! Jordan Wheeler had to have beaten his kid! We always saw him get violent and nasty with other people at the bar! And we also know he has anger issues even when he isn't drinking, and there is no doubt he was abusive to that poor kid either, his wife left him because he was a drunk and gambler and he was said to have hit his own kids to."

As Berret started relieving himself, Able continues smoking, "Reminds me of my ex wife, she was also a drinker and abuser. She'd hit me at times, but when I found those cigarette burns on our daughter...I made certain that she never saw us again."

Berret blinks, "Oh yeah, how is Janet?"

Able smiles, "Good," he says with pride, "she's heading to college this fall, I gave her Yugi Motou's autograph as a gift before she leaves early to look for an apartment in the city...they grow up so fast."

"I can imagine. So now that we told the police what I saw, will we be called to testify again?" Berret asked.

Able shrugged, "Maybe, besides you said you think the old man did it."

"And I'll stand by it!" Berret says confidently, "he is obviously guilty! And now he'll have to face the consequences for being a brutish, stupid...waste...of...what the hell!?"

Able blinks, "What? What's wrong Berret?"

A loud roar caught his attention, Able turned around and dropped his cigarette as his eyes almost popped out of his sockets, "What the hell!?"

Up in the starry sky, Red Eyes black dragon was at the top of all of Domino, roaring at the top of its lungs for all the city to hear. Able and Berret were frozen as the beast continued roaring.

* * *

On top of the building at Domino city, three cloaked figures looked on as the dragon flew and roared. People from below were screaming and running in fear from the large creature as it flew over them, Red Eyes continued to roar with no care of the people it frightened.

The figure in the middle smirks,"It has begun."

"Aye," said the other figure in agreement, "Red Eyes is returning, and it will get stronger by the day, right now it cries for help of its fallen master."

The third cloaked figure steps in, "We shall give Joseph Wheeler time to recover...and when he does, the battle can begin...and this time Red Eyes will fall...we shall reign victorious!"

Red Eyes roared once more, this time to the distance. Though it wasn't its usual angry roar, this time it was a roar of sorrow, as tears were falling downs its eyes.

* * *

 _ **End of chapter 2.**_


	3. Fighting for life and Truth's Revealed

_**Chapter 3! And I want to thank all of my reviewers who review, fav and watch for updates on this story! And I especially want to thank Autobot00001 for outlining the story for me, I appreciate everything you did and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.**_

 _ **Enjoy:)**_

* * *

It was morning in the town of Haiku, everyone was up and was getting started on their day, shops were opening, the people were heading to work and the kids were getting ready for school. It was near the end of June and Summer had already begun.

In a house in a quiet neighborhood, Serenity was getting dressed, fitting into her school uniform that contrasted a white T-shirt and a green checkered skirt the reached her knee's as the sun shined in her room. She sits on her bed as she puts on her long socks and shoes, she then grabbed a hair brush as she started to brush her long Auburn hair, and ended up tying it up in a high ponytail. A few minutes later she washed her face and brushed her teeth and grabbed her school suitcase and went downstairs.

When Serenity headed to the kitchen, she finds her mother, Lynn Jacobs, sitting at the table drinking tea and having toast. Lynn was wearing a pale yellow shirt with dullard yellow skirt, her short Auburn hair was curly as always and was starting to grey from age, her olive eyes similar to her daughter's was watching television.

"Morning, mom." Serenity says to her as she reached the kitchen.

Lynn looks up and see's her daughter, giving a gentle smile, "Good morning, dear. Would you like anything for breakfast?" she asked.

Serenity shook her head and smiled, "No thanks, I gotta get to school, but I'll eat something there."

"Are you sure?" Lynn asked, "today is exams, if you don't eat something now you might not have the energy to focus. You're already finishing your first year of high school you know."

Serenity was finishing her first year of high school and she was already finishing exams. She was at the top of her classes and made the honor roll in her first year, she was considered a prodigy and the teachers saw promise in the young girl.

Serenity smiles, "Alright, I'll eat something now," Serenity takes a piece of bread and eats bits of it.

Lynn smiled, "Alright. Run along now. Good luck on the exams."

Serenity headed to the door,"Thanks mom! Love you!" and Serenity left.

After Serenity leaves, Lynn returns her attention to the television.

* * *

At Domino Hospital, Yugi is on his cellphone with Téa as he stood in front of Joey's room as his friend was asleep. She saw the news at New York and immediately called Yugi. Yugi knew Tea would panic so he tried to calm her down as much as he could, but knowing Tea's fiery personality it would be a challenge.

 **"How is he, Yugi?"** Tea asked worryingly on the other line.

Yugi had an equally worried expression, "The doctor says he's stable for now, but they won't know if there'll be any improvement unless he wakes up."

Téa was breathing heavily, **"I still can't believe this happened. I leave Domino for a week and Joey ends up getting hurt. What's next, a piano will drop on Tristan?"**

Yugi chuckled a bit from the last statement, "It'll be fine, Téa. Joey's tough, and no matter how bad things get for him, he's always been able to pull through because he never gives up."

Téa sighs, **"I hope you're right, Yugi. Things wouldn't be the same without him, especially after everything we've been through together."**

Yugi smiles and nods, "I know. I'll let you know if he improves any."

Téa, while Yugi can't see it, smiled on the phone, **"Thanks Yugi. Also, did you see on the news after Joey was sent to the hospital?"**

Yugi blinked, "Huh? What do you mean?"

 **"Apparently, around the same time Joey was admitted to the hospital, Red Eyes Black Dragon appeared and started flying across Domino."**

Yugi was startled and shocked, "Red Eyes Black dragon!? In Domino!?"

Tea contined, **"Yeah, you mean you didn't see it? I saw it on the news and everyone was freaking out. Everyone was running as it flew in the sky roaring."**

Yugi blinked and was still in shock, "I never saw it, I was at the hospital with Tristan to see Joey. I didn't even know about this until now! Do you know where Red Eyes is now?"

 **"I don't know, looks like it disappeared after last night. I haven't seen news of it since. But you and Tristan be on the look out for it, alright...be careful."**

Yugi got his composure back and nodded and smiled, "Thanks, Téa. Good luck on your dance recital."

 **"And good luck getting into Tech school."**

As Yugi hung up and sat down. While he missed Tea and was worried about Joey, something else was on his mind, Tea said the Red Eyes Black Dragon appeared in Domino last night. While he wouldn't be that surprised anymore since he experienced such things before, this was unbelievable. When Atem left he thought it was the end of the wild adventures with the supernatural, but when Aigami and his sister Sera came when Seto tried to bring Atem back to duel him once more that expectation went out the window quickly.

Even with Atem gone, it was like Yugi said when Atem left for the afterlife, his own story was about to begin.

Tristan came around the corner to find Yugi on the chair.

"How'd she take it?" he asked him.

Yugi looks at Tristan with a bit of exhaustion, "As well as you'd expect."

Tristan closes his eyes and sighs, "No surprise. Hopefully she won't worry to much, she has a recital coming up." Tristan opens his eyes.

Yugi nodded in agreement, "Yeah...Tristan...did you know anything that happened last night?"

Tristan tilted his head, "What do you mean?"

Yugi wasn't sure what to say, while he wanted to ask if he knew about Red Eyes being in Domino, he knew Tristan was worried for Joey to much to worry about anything else. So Yugi shook his head, "It's nothing, forget that I said anything."

Tristan blinked again, but then shrugged, "If you say so."

Yugi stands up and looks at Tristan, "Tristan, I just realized something."

"What's that, Yug'?"

"We haven't heard anything from Serenity, so it's safe to say she doesn't know about this yet."

Tristan realizes this to. Serenity hasn't called about Joey yet. Tristan knew immediately Serenity has no idea what was happening since she would have came down in a heart beat of she knew, "Oh man you're right! She's gonna be devastated when she finds out. And when she finds out about her dad..."

Yugi nods sadly,"Yeah, but if she's gonna find out about this, it's best that she finds out from someone she trusts. Joey is going to need her now more than ever."

Tristan blinks and starts to point at himself, "Wait? You want me to call her?"

"She's known you longer than me and she trusts you, so it'd be better if you told her."

Tristan wasn't sure what to say. While he was actually ecstatic about talking to Serenity, it would be hard for him due to the circumstances of the call and how the poor girl will react.

Still, Tristan looks at Yugi and smiles, "Alright Yug, I'll call sometime today and let her know."

Yugi smiles, "Good. Thanks Tristan."

Suddenly, Yugi's phone rings again. He had to leave for a moment since it was the Dean of the Tech college wanting to discuss about the classes Yugi will take next week. Yugi is to leave for college tomorrow from the Domino train station as the Tech college was forty miles away from the city, and Yugi knew he will have to pack his things by tonight.

Tristan smiles as Yugi was already making plans for his future, but his smile fades as he looks over at Joey in his hospital bed, wondering if Joey will even have a future.

"...Joey..."

* * *

 _Joey wakes up as usual. He was in his boxers and brief's and yawns as he stretches, he groggily looks around and groans, "What happened last night?"_

 _Joey realizes that he was back in his and Tristan's apartment. He instantly became confused, "Wait, how'd I get home?" Joey looks down and saw what he was wearing, "And what happened to my clothes?" with that last question he made a mental note to punch Tristan for stripping him if he did it. He went to his closet and got a pair of clothes and put his shoes on. A few minutes later, Joey walks out of the apartment building and onto the street, but Joey became disturbed when he saw that no one was out._

 _Not the people walking to work, the kids heading to school, or any dogs barking or birds chirping or cars honking. Everything was dead silent. Joey blinked and looked around, "Okay, this is freaky."_

 _Joey walked down the street to find anyone, he felt great feeling of Deja vu as he remembered Aigami doing a trick like this and nearly erased him from existence. He was praying history wasn't repeating itself._

 _Suddenly, he see's someone up ahead. It was a figure wearing a black cloak, Joey at first was suspicious, but he wanted to know what was going on so he had no choice._

 _Joey yells out to the person as he ran, "Hey!" when he caught up to the figure, he was catching his breath, "Pardon me, Do you have any idea what's going on here?"_

 _"...You might say that." The figure spoke, it was a female voice._

 _Joey looks around, "Where is everyone? It's like a ghost town here. And I can't find my friends either, did something happen?"_

 _"...Something is coming my boy...and I'll see to it that you cannot stop it."_

 _Joey blinked, "Huh?"_

 _Suddenly, the woman turns around and grabs Joey by the throat and begins to choke him. Then by Joey's surprise she lifted him, her hood falling off her head and he saw her face. She had light red curly hair, with fair skin and blue eyes and wore red lipstick. She smirked at Joey as he gagged for air._

 _"Hey! What the!?" Joey tried to say but he was losing air quickly._

 _The woman smirked more, "I've been waiting a long time for this. At first I thought it would be difficult knowing how stubborn you are, Joseph. But seeing how that man took care of you physically, circumstances have changed dramatically and this makes this all more easy for me to destroy spiritually. Now the prophecy cannot be fulfilled if the warrior dies...goodbye, Joseph Wheeler."_

 _Joey didn't know what to do. Who was this woman? What was she talking about a prophecy? Warrior? All the questions running through his head, but it didn't matter, he was certain he was done for. He was going to die._

 _A loud roar rumbled in the city, the woman looks the other way and was wide-eyed in shock. Suddenly a blast of fire headed her direction and screamed as it hit her. Joey falls onto his back, and when he looked up, the woman disappeared._

 _Joey was beyond confused, "Wha…what just happened?!" he stuttered._

 _Joey heard the loud roar again. He looks up and to his shock, sees the Red-Eyes Black Dragon flying overhead as it looks at Joey._

 _"Red-Eyes?!" Joey exclaimed._

 _As Joey stood up, Red-Eyes starts to fly off, but it looks back at Joey as it does so._

 _Joey tilted his head, "Okay. Something tells me he wants me to follow it." he groans and holds his head, "Why does everything always happen to me?!"_

 _He starts to follow the dragon._

* * *

Tristan is walking down the sidewalk of the busy city. He was in a grim mood because of everything that's happened, first Joey getting hurt by his drunk dad, and now having to tell Serenity the truth of what happened to Joey. And what made it harder for Tristan is that that maybe this time Joey won't survive his dad's attack.

For as long as he could remember, when Joey and Tristan were in Middle school Joey told him how his dad drank and sometimes get violent with him and how he puts him in debt from gambling, leaving Joey no choice but to get a few jobs since his dad wouldn't. Tristan at times would beg Joey to call CPS or his mom for help if Jordan wouldn't get a job or care for Joey, but Joey always refused saying he could care for himself and how his dad needed him.

This time what Tristan feared what would happen to Joey if he didn't leave his dad happened. And Joey might pay for it with his life.

Tristan was lost in his thoughts, _"How am I gonna tell Serenity about this? Joey's her big brother and hero! If he doesn't pull through, she might…"_

Tristan started to remember the Auburn haired Wheeler. When Tristan saw her picture for the first time, he thought she was an angel, since then he started to develop a crush on his best friends sister. When Tristan met her for the first time after her surgery, she made him like her even more, to the point where he fell in love with her and started telling lies to impress her. Of course when she called him her friend, he was devastated that he was still in the friend zone, and when Duke started showing interest in Serenity it made things worse.

However, as he got to know her he saw that the often shy and timid girl was more Wheeler than he thought. From her humor to her outgoing persona when she got used to the new people around her, when she left to go home he felt sad as he enjoyed Serenity's company.

He started to remember her smile, and that made him change his mind, "I can't think of what could happen. Yugi's right, Serenity deserves to know about this." He says out loud.

Suddenly, Tristan bumps into someone and he stumbled back.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" A man said angrily at Tristan.

Tristan brushes himself and immediately started apologizing, "Sorry, sir! I wasn't paying attention, I-"

Tristan froze when he saw the man. It was none other than his father, Troy Taylor, he was in his mid forties, wore a green over-shirt with a white T-shirt underneath and a pair of jeans. Like Tristan, he had brown eyes and his hair was pointed like his, however he was graying himself and the years were catching up to him.

Tristan blinked a few times, "Dad?!"

Troy glared at his son, "Well, what do we have here? Playing hooky again, son. I know you just quit the factory but even this is beneath you. But then again this is what you did in high school with your friends, and in Middle school to. Doing nothing but wasting time and not what you should be doing."

Tristan returns the glare, "That's not funny, dad! I told you I didn't want to work in the factory! You forced me to work there after High school and I hated it! I don't want to spend the rest of my life working in a dark room fixing and pouring stuff like you did!"

"Hey! I'll have you know working in the factory is a family tradition! My great grandfather worked in the factory, then my grandpa, then my dad and me! And you dared to destroy that tradition that's lasted four generations!" his father hissed viciously.

"Have you even thought that maybe I never wanted to work there!?" Tristan exclaimed harshly, "Have you ever thought about asking what I wanted!? I probably wanted to go to college or have a different job that I wanted! What you may be doing is tradition and times change, dad, and you need to accept that!"

Troy clenched his fists, "You sound just like your brother and sister! Kevin said the exact same thing when he left to do his fruity theater thing, and Rachel when she left to marry that man and had that child, Johji, when she could have married that rich man I introduced to her to!"

"And you disowned them, like you did me." Tristan hissed.

"Damn right I did!" Troy exclaimed in anger, "I wasn't going to let failures carry on the Taylor legacy! And you, my youngest son, have tarnished the Taylor name!"

Tristan growled, this wasn't the first time Troy called Tristan a failure. He called him and his brother and sister that for years, and it always got to him until Middle school when he met Joey and he started to realize his father was just a miserable man who would never be happy with anything.

Tristan scoffed, "Whatever, you disowned me when I quit my job at the factory. There's no point fighting you anymore, I'm a stranger to you just as you are to me. I already started my career as a mechanic and you can't ruin that for me. We're done."

As Tristan started to walk away, Troy scoffed, "Right...by the way, I heard about what happened to you friend, Joey."

Tristan stopped at his tracks, but he didn't look back, "...Yeah, so what?"

"Nothing...I just knew Jordan would do something like this eventually, that man was ruined when he had kids...when he met her and she took everything from him and ruined his life and made him into the broken man he is."

Tristan blinked, "Met who?"

Troy looked at Tristan, "That should be obvious to you, moron. And just remember I was thinking about your future when I gave you that job at the factory! And mark my words you will regret rejecting it and me!"

Troy walked away, while cursing at people to move out of his way while Tristan just glared at his father. Tristan knew he wasn't thinking of him, but only of himself, he was always this selfish man ever since he could remember, especially when he disowned his older brother and sister. Tristan wondered how his mother put up with him for so long, but Tristan didn't care anymore, this was his life and he will decide for himself what he wants.

Tristan walked down the street.

* * *

In the outskirts of Domino city, down the dirt path, was an abandoned house. It was aged and had holes and creaking wood going back and forth from the wind, it was brown but became grey and dull due to the unkind years it suffered.

Inside the house, however, was a different story.

The house inside was clean and brand new, the walls were painted a royal blue and the wooden floors were shiny with a red carpet. Vases and antiques surrounded the house along with old paintings. In the red living room was a fire place that was going, crimson flames dancing, and a dark brown sofa chair, with a woman sitting on it.

She was wearing a red dress a pair of black high heel shoes, white pearls around her pale neck as she sipped on wine from her glass.

Suddenly, the door opened and frantic footsteps were heading to the living room. Three cloaked figures came in and they all bowed to the woman.

"Mother! The Red-Eyes Black Dragon has appeared last night in the city!" The middle figure says with excitement.

"I know." the woman says calmly.

The cloaked figure on the right spoke next, "And Joey Wheeler is now in stable condition, but we don't know if he'll recover. But now that Red Eyes has returned we don't have much time to waste!"

The woman began to chuckle. She sat her wine down and stood up, she had bright red hair and blue eyes with red lips, she went over to her sons, "My sons, while you are right that the Red Eyes is returning, you have much to learn."

The men looked at each other in confusion, "What do you mean mother?" The cloaked man on the left asked.

"That wasn't the true Red Eyes black dragon everyone saw last night, it was simply a Ka, Red Eyes spiritual power that stayed with Joseph when it left. The real Red-Eyes Black Dragon will be coming soon, once it learns its companion has been injured. However when I tried to kill Joseph in his coma the Ka stopped me, I wanted to make things easier for our plans by eliminating the warrior. But it seems fate has other plans."

"No need for that mother," the man on the left proclaimed, "It would be boring to defeat them at their most vulnerable moment. We want to give them a chance to fight us...like in ancient times."

The three men stood up and removed their cloaks. The middle man had bright red hair like his mother but had brown eyes, he was tall and muscular with scars on his body and he wore a black armor. The man on the right had dark brown hair and had blue eyes like his mother and was wearing red armor with a dragon on it. The man on the right had light blonde hair and green eyes with an unsettling smirk that would make anyone's skin crawl.

The woman smiles warmly as she pets her sons, "You three always were sportsmen," she looks at the middle man, "Dub," then the right man, "Dother," and she smiles a bit more at the left man, "And my Dian."

Dub spoke up, "When do you think the Red Eyes will learn of Joey's condition mother? Since the incident nothing else has happened, it has almost been twenty-four hours and it still hasn't arrived except the Ka."

"Apparently the information has yet to reach the dragon so far...but it will soon. It's only a matter of time. The Ka was crying for it, trying to tell it that Joseph is in trouble."

Their mother goes to get three wine glasses and pours the wine into them and hands them to her sons."

"But the day we've been waiting centuries for is upon us, and soon we shall have our revenge. Once the true Red-Eyes vessel has returned, their powers will activate, and we can begin the ritual." she explains.

"To power!" Dub proclaims.

"To victory!" Dother declares.

"To war!" Dian exclaims.

"To revenge." Their mother announces.

They clink their glasses together.

* * *

Serenity was sitting in the cafeteria waiting for school to end. She had finished the last of her exams and is now waiting for the bell to ring to begin her Summer vacation. She has so much planned, she thought about spending the Summer with Joey and visit Domino, they haven't seen each other since the airport and the last time they spoke was on the phone making plans for the Summer.

Of course she had to ask her mother first. While she was grateful Joey won the prize money that paid for Serenity's operation, Serenity knew there was still tension between them. Not that Serenity could blame Joey since their mother left him, but she hoped that for her sake her mom and Joey can be civil with each other in that discussion.

Then, her friend, Missy, stumbles into the cafeteria and sits down and sighs, "Ugh! I'm glad it's over, finally!"

Missy had might brown hair that was in a pony tail, slightly tanned skin, she had large dark green eyes and wore the same uniform as Serenity.

Serenity turns her head and smiles, "How did it go, Missy?"

Missy turns her head, "I just want to pass, that's all," then she perks up and smiles at Serenity, "Have you heard anything from your brother? Did your mom give the go ahead to see him in the Summer?"

Serenity shakes her head, "Not yet, but I hope he's okay. I haven't heard anything from him since I called him last month, and I didn't tell mom yet since she is busy and about Thomas."

Missy blinks, "What? your mom's boyfriend Thomas?"

"Yeah," Serenity answers, "And he's not her boyfriend anymore, he actually proposed to her last week."

Missy's eyes widened, "Shut up! Your mom is getting married!? Serenity that's great!"

Serenity ushered Missy to lower her voice, "Missy, keep it down!" and Serenity smiles, "Yeah, I'm happy for mom, she hasn't really been with anyone since the divorce, and Thomas is a very nice man."

Missy became excited and claps her hands slightly, "Now you can have a dad who has a big heart! Things really are looking up!"

Over the intercom, there was a beep and the principal's voice boomed from it.

 **"Serenity Wheeler, please come to the principal's office, you have a call."**

Serenity and Missy were confused, but after she says her goodbyes to Missy she left to go to the office. When she entered she saw the middle aged principal as he looked up at her.

Serenity looked at him in confusion, "You wanted to see me, sir?" she asked.

Principal hands her the phone, "You have a call on line 1, Serenity." he told her.

Even more confused, Serenity took the phone and spoke into it.

"Hello?"

 **"Serenity? It's Tristan."**

Serenity was wide-eyed when she heard Tristan's voice, "Tristan? Why are you calling me when I'm at school?"

Tristan spoke again, **"Believe me, it's the last thing I wanted to do, but this was the only way I could get a hold of you."**

Serenity noticed the distress in Tristan's voice. Worried, she asked him, "Is everything okay? You don't sound well."

Tristan was silent for a moment, then he spoke again, **"No. I wish I didn't have to tell you this, Serenity…Joey's in the hospital in a coma."**

Serenity felt her heart reach her throat when Tristan said those words,"...What!?" she says in a silent but raspy voice as her eyes widened and her hand began to shake.

Tristan continued, **"And your dad might've been the one who put him there. The police have him in custody and Joey's condition is all over the news, I want to know if you can come down and be there for him?...Serenity? Serenity? Hello?"**

"Serenity! Wait! come back!" the principal called out to Serenity as she ran out of the school.

* * *

 _ **End of chapter three.**_

 _ **Now Serenity knows Joey is in trouble. What will happen next?**_


	4. The Dragon's Den and Tearful Farewell's

_**I am really enjoying this project! I want to thank everyone who has been reviewing this story and are continuing to support it! And I want to thank Autobot again for helping me on this story:)**_

 _ **Enjoy:)**_

* * *

 _It felt like an eternity when it was actually four hours since Joey started following Red Eyes from the fake Domino city and was now in a forest. And while Joey was grateful to be saved, his feet were starting to kill him and he felt like he was on the verge of collapse from exhaustion as he followed the large shadow the most powerful monster in his deck._

 _Of course this is something he has become used to, when he and Yugi become friends the supernatural just came along with it since the Pharaoh was with them at the time. Of course, while he won't admit it, he loved the excitement on his adventures with monsters and saving the world._

 _However, this wasn't about saving the world this time and Atem is not with them anymore, this is about him saving himself by himself. He has no memory of how he ended up here, and he didn't know who that woman was who tried to kill him, but he needed to find a way out and fast before she does come back._

 _Joey looked around and saw nothing but tall tree's, but he was able to see Red Eyes in the sky through the clear path at the top. The wind blew a cool breeze through his hair and skin, despite the long walk, Joey was enjoying nature._

 _Until his leg cramped again and he groaned, "Ugh! This is taking too long! Why are there so many trees! I feel like I've seen them before an hour ago! And I'm getting hungry!" Joey's stomach began growling angrily._

 _Joey stopped when he realized he passed through the last tree and was no longer in the forest. Before him was clear land, except for the tall mountains that were before him._

 _Joey blinked in confusion, "Okay, that's a nice view, but I still don't get it."_

 _Joey hears the sound of Red-Eyes roaring and looks up to see him flying overhead. The dragon stopped flying and he lands in front of Joey, getting down on all fours. Suddenly, Red-Eyes stretches his neck out beside Joey, suggesting for him to climb on._

 _Joey realized what Red Eyes body language meant,"What? You want me to ride you? I got a bad feeling about this, that or because I haven't eaten anything all day, but I trust you._

 _And so Joey climbs onto the beast's back, and Red-Eyes spreads his wings and begins flying off toward the mountains. Of course poor Joey was panicking and let out yell since it's been a while since he rode on a dragon since his trip to India when he and gang were fighting Alexander the Great. That and he was also possessed by Red Eye's black dragon's angry spirit as well but that was another story._

 _Joey squealed more until he got his grip on Red Eye's horns, he starts to relax and looked on ahead, "Okay! Getting used to it now!"_

 _Red Eyes continued to fly up a few more feet. Passing the clouds and branches as the wind blew, after three more cloud passing Red Eyes landed on the mountain with grass and rubble. Joey tumbled off the large dragon and looked around._

 _He blinked as he looked up in confusion,"Uuhh, this is new. So why are we here?" Joey asked._

 _Red-Eyes growled, and nudges against Joey's back. Indicating the dragon wants him to continue to walk, Joey groaned, "What? More walking?" Joey sighed and slouched his shoulders, "Alright, I'm going. But there better be food where we're going."_

 _Red Eyes and Joey walked on the trail on the mountain. Of course Joey was nervous as it was a ledge and he was being careful not to fall, sweat racing down his forehead and his mouth twitching as he looked down to see the steep side beside him._

 _"Eeehh, steady now, don't look down." Joey told himself._

 _Soon he and Red Eyes made it off and were now on flat surface again, Joey sighed in relief as he wiped his forehead to get rid of the cold sweat dripping down his forehead._

 _"That was close, being that high is enough to make me...GHAAAAAAAH!"_

 _Joey screamed as other dragons started coming out of the tree's, mountain rock and caves that surrounded Joey and Red Eyes. Some were larger than the others, Joey immediately recognized some of them, one was Harpy's pet Dragon coming from a cave, the other dragon was Exploder dragon flying from the tree's, than came along Blizzard dragon, Vice dragon, Berserk dragon, Doom Virus dragon and many other dragons from all around the mountain hill._

 _Joey gulped as he saw the large creatures surround him, staring at the blonde man. Joey was nervous that they might be looking at him as dinner, "Uh...h-hi," he said nervously, ''Please don't eat me...Red Eyes help me!''_

 _A small dragon started to come near him, Joey looked down as the dragon started to lick his hand. It startled Joey and he quickly took his hand away, he looked to see what licked him and was shocked at what he saw. The creature was up to torso, orange with a light beige under belly and had horns on its head with bright green eyes._

 _The baby dragon gave a delightful chirp seeing his master. Joey immediately recognized the little dragon and grinned widely._

 _"Hey little guy!" Joey exclaimed in joy and starts petting the baby dragon's head, "How have you been? It's been a while since I saw ya! Have you been a good baby dragon?"_

 _Baby Dragon chirped happily, enjoying Joey's touch. The other dragons look at Joey in curiosity as the young dragon went to him in adoration, Red Eyes looks at the other dragons and gave a short roar to them, as if it was telling them what was going on and why this human was here._

 _Joey looked at the other dragons and started to ask, "So do any of you know why I'm here? Because I have no idea why I'm here. All I remember was..."_

 _Joey began to remember going for a walk, taking a turn near the street light, than him accidentally meeting his father and getting into a fight...his father. Joey started to feel his blood boil and began to clench his fists and teeth remembering the scent of alcohol and the curses that came from him._

 _Then Joey started remembering fists, the kicks, the pain, and feeling cold and limp afterwards. Then he remembered everything turning black, and here he was._

 _Joey started to feel his blood run cold, "...Wait...if I was beaten up...does that mean...I'm now dead?"_

 _Joey held his head, "No wait! I haven't seen Angels yet, only dragons. So there is a good chance I'm still alive and just in a near death experience, that's all...but now I want to go back to the land of the living."_

 _Baby Dragon chirped, tugging on Joey's shirt and started pulling him. Joey looked down and blinked, "Huh? What is it Baby Dragon?"_

 _Baby Dragon let's go and heads behind Joey to push him forward. Joey was surprised by the baby's actions as he wanted him to go inside a cave next to the dragons, Joey wasn't sure about it, but if it's a way to get back home, than so be it._

 _"Okay okay, I'll follow your lead. Hold your horses. Kids, they get excited about everything."_

 _As Joey went in with Baby dragon, Red Eyes Black dragon looked on to Joey with content along with the others dragons as they joined in._

 _The cave was dark and clammy, the walls were wet as the water dripped from the cracks. As they went further down, it surprisingly started to get warmer and warmer for Joey, and the walls got drier and drier._

 _"This is weird, a few moments ago the cave was wet and cold. But now it's getting warm, like a house, what's down here?" Joey asked._

 _Baby Dragon lets out another chirp, suddenly a red light was seen in the distance. Joey and Baby Dragon started to get closer and closer, when they reached the source of the red light, Joey was speechless._

 _It was a gigantic room with lite torches on the walls like an old medieval castle. It had tapestries of ancient warriors and dragons and it had a long red carpet on the floor, Joey couldn't believe it._

 _"Whoa! This is unbelievable! I've seen some amazing things in my time, but this takes the cake! What is this place!?"_

 _Joey started to explore the room, and decided to check out the tapestries. Joey was not one to be taken in by art, but the dragons and the Knights in the tapestries astounded him, from the design of each dragon to the story behind the tapestries. But what caught Joey's attention wasn't just the art itself, it was that the Knights and dragons weren't fighting each other, but together._

 _"Wait a second...Knights used to RIDE dragons? Geez the Fairytale's won't be the same, what's next a princess and an Ogre fall in love and get married?" Joey turns in a different direction, but stopped immediately from what he saw, "Huh?"_

 _What Joey saw was a giant statue of two dragons. It was unusual because the dragons looked exactly like his Red Eyes Black dragon, except the dragon Red Eyes was fighting was bigger than it was and looked more vicious and sinister with multiple wings and extra spikes, and unlike Red Eyes this dragon had markings on its body. Another difference was that there was a warrior riding on the back of the vicious Red Eyes Black dragon while his Red Eyes Black dragon didn't, this warriors armor replicated its dragon in the sharp spikes and markings as he lifted his sword, ready to strike at the other creature._

 _Joey got a chill as he touched the statue on Red Eyes side as he looked at the other dragon, "Geez, I never seen that kind of dragon before. I wonder what the story behind this statue is about? That warrior on that dragon's back doesn't look like the hero type to me."_

 _"..I'm not surprised."_

 _Joey was startled by a female voice. He immediately turned around in alarm and looked back and forth to find where the voice came from, "Huh?! Who said that?! Who's there!?"_

 _"No one else has seen that dragon for centuries. However, I fear that now that she has come back, that dragon will be unleashed upon the world once more." the female voice said again._

 _Joey turned around. Along the red carpet was eight steps of stairs that led to a giant throne that resembled a dragons mouth, and someone was sitting on it. It was a large figure with a brown cloak, Joey became alarmed._

 _Baby Dragon got excited and started to run towards the figure and chirped more happily. When he got to the figure his tail was wagging as he looked up in awe at the person on the throne._

 _"Hello to you to, sweet flame." The woman said in a sweet tone._

 _She bent down to pet Baby dragon, as she did Joey froze again when he saw that what came out of the cloak's sleeve was a giant, Royal blue colored claw hand._

 _Joey felt the side of his mouth twitch and started making nervous sounds, "W-who are you?" he asked nervously._

 _The cloaked the figure stopped petting Baby dragon and looked at Joey, grey slatted eyes piercing through the darkness of her cloak._

* * *

Lynn giggled as she drank her wine, while being cradled by the arm of the man next to her. The man was about Lynn's age, with brown hair that was starting to grey and had a few fine lines on his face. He was average height and wore a green sweater and a pair of beige pants.

They continued to cuddle on the couch, enjoying each other's company, "Afternoon's like these are just divine, don't you think?" he asked the woman.

Lynn smiled and nodded, "They certainly are Thomas, they are just grand. Just being with each other like this with this after a long day."

"It'll be like this more often after we get married." Thomas winks.

Lynn giggled, the man was Thomas Jibes, Lynn's long time boyfriend and now fiance. They met three years after Lynn divorced her ex-husband, Lynn was working night-shift as a nurse and Thomas came in from an accident as he left a press conference from his job at the news station and needed medical attention. When they met, Thomas was instantly smitten and Lynn found him charming.

After three weeks when he recovered he asked her on a date, and she agreed. Their relationship grew from there as they told each other their lives and Lynn's divorce from her abusive drunk ex husband, Jordan. Now after five years of dating, about two weeks ago Thomas asked for Lynn's hand in marriage. And she happily accepted.

After Serenity left for school, Thomas came over with a bouquet of flowers for Lynn and a bottle of wine for them to sit and relax. They mostly talked about their future together and where they go for their Honeymoon, as well as their plans for their wedding.

Thomas set his wine down and looked at Lynn, "So who do you think we should invite to the wedding?" he asked her.

Lynn smiled, "Well, Serenity of course, and than there's your parents. I'm sure they would want a front row seat to see their youngest son finally teing the knot."

"And I must invite my sister Veronica, she is dying to be the maid of honor," than Thomas started to remember another person, "And what about your son Joseph? Maybe he could come, I've never had a chance to meet him yet."

Lynn was surprised from what she heard Thomas say. She looked at him as he continued talking, "He is the second finalist of Duelist kingdom, and after knowing he got the three million dollars for Serenity's eye operation, I'm officially a big fan of his, I desperately wish to meet him. He sounds like a great boy."

Lynn was silent for a moment, but just as she was about to say something to him, the door slammed open. They were surprised and turned their heads to see a sweaty Serenity with red eyes, they stood up in alarm as they saw the girl in the state she was in.

"Serenity?" Thomas says in surprise.

Lynn frowned, "What's wrong? Why are home from school this early?"

Serenity was breathing heavily, than tears started to fall from her olive eyes as she looked at the adults, "Mom...Thomas...something bad happened."

Thomas became more worried for his future step daughter and he went to her and placed his hands on her shoulder and wiped her tears with one of them, "Serenity, what's wrong? What happend? Did something bad happen at school?"

Serenity wiped her eyes and looked at Thomas, " I...I was at school waiting for the home bell to ring after I finished my exams. Then the principal called me to his office, saying I got a call from Tristan."

Lynn's eyes widened, "Tristan?! Joseph's friend from school? Why?"

Serenity looked at her mother in heartbreak, "When I asked him why he called me, he said that Joey was in the hospital in a coma and was in bad shape,"Serenity became more upset, "And he said dad put him there!"

Thomas and Lynn were shocked at this news, Thomas was even more shookened up while slid down on the couch speechless, "Good lord..." Thomas uttered.

Serenity wiped her eyes again, "Tristan told me it happened last night near the bar dad usually goes to, Joey was taking a walk and bumped into him by mistake and got into a fight. Two men found Joey beaten with a broken arm, leg and was unresponsive. He's on life support and the police have dad in custody, he'll be on trial soon but the doctors don't know if Joey will make it!"

Thomas was horrified by what he heard, then he became angry, "Why that bastard! How could he do that to his own son!?" he hissed, "Now that poor boys life hangs in the balance and his future could be ripped away all because of a drunken rage!"

Meanwhile, Lynn was still shocked and held her head, "...My god..."

"I was afraid this would happen!" Serenity exclaimed, "Ever since I can remember, dad always had a bad temper when he got drunk, and Joey was the one who usually got the brunt of it! I was hoping he would stop after I was gone, but instead he put my big brother in the hospital!"

Lynn and Thomas were still shocked, then Thomas remembered one of his co workers telling him something at work before he came over, "Wait...that must have been the story Ben told me about at the station, about a famous Duelist fighting for his life. He said it was all over the news!"

Serenity nods, "Yes, that's what Tristan told me to. They are still investigating what happened. They'll be questioning dad soon to."

Serenity started to calm herself down as Thomas touched her shoulder, "It will alright Serenity. If your brother is as strong as you said he was, he'll pull through."

Serenity was silent for a moment, until she started to clench her fists. Her sad face started to harden and she looks at her mother in determination.

"Mom, I have to go to Domino to see Joey." She announced.

Lynn's eyes widened, "What!?"

Serenity continued, "Not only that, dad's trial will be in a month. And I want to testify against him to finally put him away."

Lynn stood up and gave Serenity a stern look, "No Serenity, I forbid it!"

Serenity was stunned, "What?! But my brother is fighting for his life! And dad need's to pay for what he did!"

"It's too dangerous!" Lynn says in desperation, "Serenity, your father is a violent ill-tempered man. I know first hand what he is capable of! And he hated you because of your illness and you were his intended target for his violent outbursts, that's why I had to take custody of you so you would be safe from his abuse. If you go to testify against him, he'll resent you even more and might try to attack you!"

Serenity looked at her mom in disbelief, "Mom! He hurt Joey, and he might die from this!"

"And you could be next! Serenity, Jordan is dangerous. He also has friends from the outside, so even if he can't get out of jail, if he caught wind you're back in town, to testify against him none the less, you might suffer the same fate as Joseph! Or worse! I can't allow that to happen to you!"

Serenity was no stranger to her mother's resentment against her ex husband. Serenity remembered all the fights her parents had up until she divorced him and took Serenity away, their fights usually involved Serenity and her once bad eyesight and how she was a "financial burden" on the family. The fights often ended with holes in the walls, broken dishes, yelling and Lynn leaving for hours while Jordan fells asleep on the couch. Joey often took Serenity out of the house as often as possible when those fights occurred, needless to say Serenity's childhood was not very happy and she didn't blame her mother for ending their marriage.

But this wasn't the time to remember the past, Serenity had to go see her brother and help him.

"Hold on, Lynn." Thomas stepped in.

Serenity and Lynn looked at the older man, "Huh? Dear?" Lynn said in question.

Thomas looks at his fiance, "Lynn, I know how you feel about your ex husband and why you wouldn't want Serenity near him, but he put your son in the hospital, and in critical condition none the less. This is a very dark time for your family, and Serenity has the right to be with her brother to help him get through this if he is to recover. And Joseph will need you to, Lynn, his mother and sister will need to give him all the support he needs when Jordan gets prosecuted for what he's done."

Lynn blinked, while Serenity's eyes lite up from Thomas's words. He continues, "Come on Lynn, I know you must be worried sick for Joey, especially since you had to leave him with your ex husband and haven't seen him in years. And Serenity hasn't seen him in six months since she went to the airport to visit him. And Jordan is in jail now and will finally be punished for what he did, there's now proof he's an abuser and he won't be able to get out and go after your children. So please Lynn, let Serenity go to Domino and help her brother, please?" Thomas asked with a bit of pleading in his voice.

Lynn didn't know what to say. She was still against Serenity going to Domino with Jordan still in the city. But she couldn't refuse Thomas's request, who asked her with such sincerity.

Lynn lets out a sigh, "Alright Thomas," then she looks at Serenity, "very well Serenity, you can go."

Serenity's eyes lite up, "Really! Thank you mom! Thank you Thomas!"

Thomas smiles at the girl, "Pack what you need for the trip, Serenity, we'll drop you off at the airport tomorrow morning."

Serenity hugged the both of them tightly, "Thank you so much! Both of you!"

Serenity immediately ran upstairs to start packing her things, meanwhile Lynn looked at Thomas with uncertainty, "Are you sure that was a good idea, dear?" she asked worryingly.

Thomas nods and puts an arm over her shoulder, "Absolutely. You said he was a terrible father, Serenity deserves to face him and get closure, and help her brother out as much as she can."

Lynn lowered her eyes, no longer facing her fiance, "I suppose..." she said in an uncertain voice.

Thomas frowns, "It's a shame I haven't met him yet either. Hopefully he'll make it, that way he can attend our wedding, we have so much to talk about, and maybe you two can start talking to each other more. It's been nearly three years since you two spoken, hasn't it? "

Lynn remained silent from Thomas's words. She continued to look away and held her hands together.

* * *

"How dare you! You had no right to disown Tristan!"

"He disobeyed me and failed me as a Taylor when he quit! I gave him a job and this is how he repays me!?"

The couple fighting was Troy and his wife Judith Taylor, Tristan's mother. Judith has short brown hair that starting to grey, dark brown eyes and had a bit of fine lines from age and was tall and slender. She wore an orange T-shirt with a light brown skirt with a pair of flats.

After Tristan graduated high school and started working at the Factory by his father's orders, things started to go bad. Whenever Tristan made a mistake on what he was making or misunderstood an order, his dad would bark at him and call him every name under the sun. When Tristan had enough and quit his job, he and his dad got in an argument and Troy disowned Tristan in front of the workers at the factory.

Of course his mother Judith didn't know about Tristan quitting or his father disowning him until she went grocery shopping and met up with her friends. And that's when they told her that they saw Troy and Tristan fighting on the sidewalk and heard Tristan quit the factory and that Troy disowned him and was degrading him.

When Troy got home, Judith unleashed Hell upon her husband in their house and have fought for an hour.

Judith was taken back in disgust, "Failed you?! He didn't want to waste his life in that God forsaken factory! He told you constantly he wanted to be a Mechanic, but he only worked at the Factory out of respect for you! He quit because he wasn't happy there and you were verbally abusive to him and degraded him in front of your co workers!"

Troy seethed, "I always knew he'd be a failure! Just like his brother and sister did! All my children broke away from something that kept families together for generations!"

"They never wanted to work at the factory like you!" Judith exclaimed angrily, "They wanted to live their own lives, not the ones you had planned for them!"

"I'm the man of the house!" Troy exclaimed back,"It's my responsibility to be the breadwinner of the family! Kevin broke the traditional male role when he left the factory for his fruity acting career! And Rachel broke her traditional womanly role when she decided to work after she got married and had her son instead of being a housewife like you! And now Tristan's making the same mistake!"

Judith became even more disgusted, "Is that how you've always viewed us?! As pawns for your dream of a family in the fifties?!"

Troy glared at Judith, "This isn't just common for our family, it was something every family followed for years. My grandfather worked in the factory like I did during the war to provide for the family while my grandmother did the housework and took care of my father and his brothers and sisters. Then my father worked in the factory and provided for my mother and me and my brother and mom cooked and cleaned!"

"Don't you see, Judith!? That was when men were men and women were women and families stayed together! There were no divorces, families were intact and granddad, dad and I had a great job that put roof's over my grandma's, mother's and your head! But now in this day and age, divorces are rampant, jobs are scarce and neither parent is there to rear the kids and that's why this generation is out of control! I was giving Kevin and Tristan a job that will last a lifetime so when they have families of their own, they can provide for them! I was doing them a favor!"

Judith couldn't believe what she was hearing. She felt like she was going explode, "Are you serious!?" She shouted, "Troy! Back then your grandfather worked in the factory during the war because of the Depression, there were no other jobs available and your dad followed suit because the economy was still recovering! You didn't have to follow in their footsteps and work there, you could have been whatever you wanted to be! But instead you got it in your head that this is how it should be and tried to force our children into your way of thinking!"

"Because it IS the right way, Judith! Look how screwed up this world is now that those values are gone!" Troy said angrily, "If my granddad and old man saw what the world has become and what happened to our kids, they would be devastated!"

"I think they would be more devastated at the man who their grandson and son has become! And may I remind you that not even back in the day some people held those values, like how your mother left you and your father-"

Troy slammed his fist at the wall and seethed at Judith, "Don't you DARE remind me of that! My mother was an ungrateful bitch who threw away a good man and family for her own selfish reasons!"

It was a touchy subject for Troy. When he was a little boy his mother left him and his brother while their father was at work, his mother no longer wanted to take care of him or be a wife to his father. When his father returned from work and saw that his wife was gone, his father was devastated and he and his brother had to fend for themselves for then on while their father was at work.

"She betrayed my father," Troy hissed, "And I'll hate her forever for that. When she left she destroyed our family and took most of dad's money with her! She ruined everything!"

Judith stared at her husband."...Now it makes sense, this wasn't about wanting the kids to follow in your old ways...it was because you hated your mother, and you tried to keep our kids close thinking if you imposed those values on them, they wouldn't leave you out of fear. And if they tried, you would abandon them before they abandoned you...just like your mother did."

Troy glared at Judith, until Judith went upstairs, Troy followed her into their room and saw her pack up her suit case, "What are you doing?" he asked.

Judith put the last of her things in her bag and glared at Troy, "Everything you did, it was all about your abandonment issues with your mother! And you took it out on all of us by forcing me to quit my old job to be a housewife, and have our sons work at the factory and make Rachel a stay at home mom so they would be near you and depend on you. You never believed we loved you enough to stay by you so you wanted us to be near you as much as possible, like you were a scared child! Well I've had enough!"

"What are you saying, Judith!" Troy demanded.

"This! I'm done with you, and this marriage! I'm divorcing you Troy!"

Troy's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets and his blood ran cold, "What!?"

"You heard me," Judith continued, "It was your controlling nature and your insecurity that caused this! You're responsible for Kevin's depression when he was younger and Rachel running off so much! And Tristan! You were responsible for his delinquency before he went into high school for how you treated all of them, Troy! You nearly destroyed this family so many times that it's insane! And all of this was because you have issues about your mother and used the old days as an excuse to cover that up! And I used to have a job before I met you, and you ruined everything I worked for! Well not anymore, because I'm going out there to have a life again and this time you're not ruining it!"

As Judith headed towards the door, Troy blocked it, "No! You're not leaving and we're not getting a divorce! I didn't come this far just so you can ruin everything I built!"

Judith shoved him out of her way, "You did that yourself! And not only are you not going to stop me from leaving, you're not going to keep me from our children because you want nothing to do with them! You forced us to be something we weren't Troy, and times have changed, we all have a choice to do what we want now, which is what I'm finally doing. I'm calling a lawyer in the morning for the divorce papers. I don't want you anywhere near me."

As Judith left the house and went into her car, Troy marched out and yelled at her, "Fine! Go ahead and leave! The kids won't take you in! You won't survive out there without me!"

Judith glares at the man, "Watch me. Blankey! Come girl!"

A German Shepard races out of the house passed Troy and jumps into the car with Judith. As she gets into the car, she starts the engine and rolls out of the driveway and drives off.

Troy, enraged, slams the door as he went back inside the house.

* * *

It was early in the morning at Domino city as the cars roamed through the city and the people were heading to work, with coffee in one hand, a brief case in another. At the Domino train station, Tristan, Duke, and Ryou were seeing Yugi off at the train station as he awaits his train to the outskirts of Domino to the Tech college. Yugi already said his goodbyes to his grandfather who couldn't be at the station since he had to open the shop.

Ryou was wearing his usual blue shirt and jeans with his long white hair down, while Duke was still wearing his black shirt and pants with the red vest and his long black hair in a ponytail. Tristan wore his black long-sleeved shirt and grey T-shirt underneath with a pair of jeans, and Yugi wore his dark purple shirt with black pants.

Yugi set his suit case down as he looks at the three young men, "So, finally going off to college, eh Yugi?" Duke said.

Yugi nodded but frowned, "Yeah. I just wish it were under better circumstances. I'm just worried about leaving while Joey is in the hospital in the state he's in, I won't be able to say goodbye to him. I'm also still worried about him."

"Don't worry, Yugi, I'm sure Joey will be fine," Ryou says reassuringly, "He's been through too much to give up now. I know he'll make it."

Yugi nods again, "I hope so, "Yugi turns his direction to Tristan, "Will you keep me posted on Joey's condition, Tristan?"

Tristan nods, "You bet Yugi. Of course I might be busy for a while before I can respond."

Yugi blinks, "Huh? What do you mean, Tristan?"

"Mom came to the apartment last night, she told me that she and dad are getting divorced and she and Blankey need a place to stay for a while until the divorce is finale and she gets a job to support herself." Tristan explained.

Yugi was surprised, "Your parents are getting divorced, oh I'm sorry to hear that."

Tristan shook his head, "Don't be, dad brought that upon himself, Beside's I'll be fine. Duke gave me a job at his game shop so I can keep staying in the apartment until I find a mechanic job, so I can still support mom when she gets her divorce papers."

Duke steps in,"There's a job there for Joey too, if he wakes up. The dog suit is still available for him to be the mascot."

Tristan gave Duke a small glare, "WHEN he wakes up. And you better not give him that dog suit if you know what's good for you Duke."

Duke backed away, "Okay okay I was joking, sheesh!"

Yugi looks at his friends, "Tristan's right. We can't give up on Joey now. He needs our support and make sure he makes a full recovery."

Ryou started to remember something, "Speaking of support, have you heard anything from his sister Serenity yet?

"Not since I called her at school," Tristan explained, "She must be done exams by now, I hope she's doing okay and be able to come to the city for Joey."

Duke smirks, "Great, then I can take her on another date while Joey gets better."

That comment led to Tristan giving Duke a headlock and he had an angry look on his face, "Not a chance, Devlin! Serenity's coming here to help Joey, not a date, and with you of all people!"

Ryou and Yugi gave out a nervous laugh as they watched Tristan and Duke fight. Then they heard the speaker be turned on the and the Intercom echoed in the station.

 **"All passengers please board now."**

Yugi picks up his suitcase, "That's my cue."

Before Yugi knew it, Tristan, Duke and Ryou all gave him a bear hug. Yugi was surprised, but he hugged all three of them back. He was going to miss all of them, but the one he will miss the most is Joey, it was actually killing Yugi knowing Joey was not there to see him off to college and was still worried if he will make it from his injuries.

They all let go of Yugi and smiled at him, "Take care of yourself, man." Tristan says to him.

Yugi smiled up at Tristan, "You too. And take care of Joey, let me know if he gets better."

"I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't." Tristan says jokingly.

Yugi boards the train. He ended up in a seat near the window where he saw Tristan, Ryou and Duke wave at him, he waved back as the train started to move. As the train left the station, many things raced through his mind as he sat alone. Joey was his first true best friend despite starting off as his school bully, only for Joey and Yugi to become friends who stood by each other's side.

Yugi was still uncertain about who put him in the hospital though, while many accuse his father, something else was telling Yugi otherwise. But regardless, he was only concerned that his best friend makes it out of this alive. He had already lost one friend to the afterlife this year, he doesn't want to lose another to it.

Yugi started to tear up and uttered a prayer, "Please pull through, Joey," then he started to pray to another, "Please, if Joey is lost somewhere, help him come back to us...Atem..."

* * *

Tristan was making himself and his mother tea when he came back from the station. Ryou went back to his apartment as well while Duke went to help his dad at the shop again, Tristan starts his shift tomorrow morning and his mother helped him clean up the apartment.

Luckily for them, their apartment allowed animals to stay so Blankey was allowed to live with them. The old German Shepard was sleeping in the living room while Tristan and his mother were in the kitchen. A Lawyer had left minutes before Tristan got home and Judith had just signed her divorce papers that will be handed to the judge.

The tea was finished and he served himself and his mother a cup each, "Here you go, mom."

Judith smiled, "Thank you, sweetheart."

Tristan sits down next to her at the table as Judith sipped her tea.

"So it's done?" Tristan asked her.

Judith nods after she drank her tea, "It is. The judge will make it official when he gets it, I filed for a fault divorce against your father. Luckily for me I have evidence to support that claim with witnesses I can tell my lawyer if Troy takes me to court, from his co workers to the girls who saw your fight with Troy. And in thirty days I will be free of him forever."

"That's great. I still can't believe you and dad are finally divorced now." Tristan said.

Judith raises an eyebrow, "You're surprised?"

Tristan scratches his cheek and was sheepish, "Not really. If anything, I'm surprised that you didn't leave him sooner. So him forcing me to work at the factory and everything he told us about his tradition was because his mom left him as a kid?"

Judith nodded, "Yes, apparently that hurt him deeply and he thought by imposing those values on us would keep us close to him so he won't be abandoned again. But he ended up ruining himself in the end because in his quest to keep his family, he destroyed it. But let's not speak of this now, not with what's going on with Joey."

Tristan frowned, "Yeah...you're right."

Judith had a concerned look on her face, "How's he doing?"

"They say he's starting to heal some, but he still hasn't woken up yet. But I saw him yesterday and he was looking good. But only time will tell." Tristan explained.

Judith comforted Tristan by touching his face as her son let his head fall, he looks at her as she smiled, "It'll be alright, Tristan."

Tristan smiled as he held his mom's hand to his face, it's amazing what the gentle touch of a mother could do for someone, even though he was practically an adult now.

Then he lifts his head and holds her hand and looks at her in a serious way, "I know what I need to do next, mom. While Joey is recovering, I need to confront Joey's dad about what happened to Joey that night."

Judith eyes were wide, "What? Why do you say that, Tristan?"

"It's probably the only way I'll get any answers," Tristan explains, "Yugi told me before he left that maybe his dad might not have hurt Joey. But I still believe he did it, I need to hear from about what happened from his side of the story."

Judith became worried, "Tristan, you don't know what you could be getting yourself into, It could be dangerous. And if he did it, he'll face prison time won't he?"

Tristan stands up and looks at her, "I know mom, but my best friend is in the hospital on life support, and I need to know if the man who put him there is really his father! I can't just sit here and do nothing! Jordan had beaten Joey since he was a kid and often wiggled out of going to jail either from his friends, or Joey bailing him out since he doesn't want to see his old man behind bars. And I don't want him to have the opportunity to lie so he can get out scot-free, I need to get all the answers I can so if he did do it, I can use it against him and have him locked away for life."

"...I understand," Judith answers, "but if you rush into things, you might be putting yourself in the middle of something we don't understand yet. Whether we like it or not, Jordan Wheeler still has the right to prove himself innocent in the eyes of the court."

Tristan hissed, he knew his mom was right. In the eyes of law, he will be guilty until he proves himself innocent. As much as he hates Jordan, Jordan still has the right to prove his innocence, even if he tries to lie in court, Tristan often wondered how Joey had so much patience with that man before he left for good.

Tristan slumps back down in his seat with a sigh, "So what should I do?" he asked.

Judith drinks her tea again, "I think the best thing is to wait until Joey wakes up. If Jordan is guilty of assaulting him that night, he would remember and would testify against him, if not then he can tell us what happened that night. Rushing things can lead to a bad outcome if we let our anger control our decisions."

Tristan thought about what his mother said, then he sighs in defeat knowing his mother was right, "I guess you're right, mom. The last thing I want to do is jump to conclusions before the trial and before Joey wakes up."

Suddenly, there's a knock on the door and both Judith and Tristan looked up, while Blankey woke up from her nap and went to the door and barked at what was behind the door.

Judith blinked, "Now who could that be? Where you expecting company, Tristan?"

Tristan shook his head and got up to go to the door, "I don't know. I'll go check it out.

When Tristan got to the door, he looks through the peephole. He was afraid it could his father demanding his mother to come back to him, however when he saw through the hole, it wasn't Troy. But while he's thankful that it isn't his father, he was shocked to see who it really was.

Tristan stepped back and quickly unlocked the door, "Oh my God!"

Judith stood up, "What is it? Who's at the door!?" she asked in worry.

Tristan opened the door and saw a young Auburn haired girl. She was wearing a pink T-Shirt and yellow skirt with a suitcase at her side, tears were threatening to come out of her olive hazel eyes.

"Serenity!?" Tristan exclaimed in shock.

Before he could react, Serenity threw her arms around Tristan and sobbed in his chest, "Tristan!"

After the initial shock, Tristan closed his eyes and slowly began to wrap his arms around Serenity, holding her close as she sobs on his chest. He was taken in by the scent of strawberries from her hair and how slender and light she was to him, after all this time, she was back. Even if the circumstances were unfavorable.

All he cared about was comforting the most important person in Joey's life, "Shhh, it's okay, Serenity."

Serenity continued to sob.

Meanwhile, Judith and Blankey looked at them in confusion, "Uhhh, Tristan? Aren't you going to introduce us?"

* * *

 _ **End of Chapter 4.**_


	5. Confessions of the Heart

_**I am REALLY starting to get into this story! I want to thank Autobot00001 for outlining the story for me, and I want to thank katerinaaqu for drawing the cover for my story, I am grateful to you guys!**_

 _ **Enjoy:)**_

* * *

Dub raised his sword as he struck down at his brother's sword, but Dother managed to hold his ground and whipped his sword as he lifted his shield for protection. The brothers continued to spare while their younger brother, Dian, watches from the side with excitement.

The three brothers were in the ball room of the broken mansion, practicing their sparring. Each day was the same, and each day they got better, especially when they are about to face an enemy soon.

Dother pushes his shield up against his brother, pushing him away as the brunette gets back up. Dub smirked at his brother mockingly, Dother returned the same look which confused his older brother, until Dother swept his foot underneath the red head and swiped his shield across his face.

Dian started laughing hysterically from what Dother did, while Dub rubbed his face and glared at his brother with a firey rage.

"What the Hell was that?!" Dub demanded angrily.

Dother took a cloth and wiped his shield to remove his brother's face print, checking for dents, "That was me, knocking your ass to the ground, and winning again. Is that so much of a surpise?" he answered with a dead panned expression.

Dian continued to laugh at his fallen brother, "He got you good, he got you good, Dub! You can't beat Dother! He's real smart to take you down like that!"

Dub whipped his head and gave his younger brother the same deadly glare, "Shut up! I'd like to see you try to beat me!"

"Careful, Dub," Dother spoke, "remember, Dian may be a bit slow, he makes up for it with brute strength...remember the soldier in Rome, and how Dian cracked opened his skull like an egg?"

Suddenly, the door to the ballroom slammed opened. The person was their mother, dressed in a black cloak and she walked towards her children as she removed her hood, with a smirk on her painted red lips.

"Boys, the moment we've been waiting for has arrived." she announced.

Dub blinked and got up, "What do you mean, mother? What happened?"

"...The Red-Eyes vessel is here."

The boys eyes were wide, Dian got away from the sidelines and Dother and Dub followed their younger brother towards their mother as they were still digesting what their mother just told them. Dub grinned in excitement and joy, "At last! The time has come!Vengeance will be ours!"

Carman raises her hand, halting her son's exuberance, "All in due time, Dub. However there is a slight complication to our plans."

Dian was confused, "What does that mean, mama?" he asked.

Dother's eyes narrowed, realizing what his mother meant, "It means we have a problem ahead of us."

Dian blinked as he finally got what his brother meant, "Oh."

Dother looked at his mother however, with the same confusion as Dian, "But what sort of problem are you speaking of, mother? Isn't the Wheeler boy still in a coma? Surly the Red Eyes vessel can't do anything so long as he's in the hospital."

Carman nodded, "Yes but I now sense he's healing, mentally and physically thanks to the Red Eyes Ka when it entered his body to save him when I tried to kill him, and there is no doubt that it's taken him to 'her'." Carman's eye's became dark, holding a grudge within her blue eyes.

Dub and Dother's eyes widened, "Her, mother?" Dub asked in utter shock, "Are you sure?"

Carman nodded, "Yes, no doubt she send the Red Eyes Black dragon to rescue him, and now he has been brought to safety where I can't re-enter his mind to finish him off again as they are now protecting his very being."

Dub clenched his fists in his arising anger, barring his teeth, "Which means that when he wakes up, he'll know everything. He'll be one step ahead of us because that fire breathing bitch has prepared him of who we are and our plans! And now that Red Eyes vessel is here, it'll be a matter of time before he'll learn the truth as well."

"Indeed. But there is good news." Carman leads her sons to the library in the other room. It was large, old room with eighteen book shelves with many books on each shelf. It was recently dusted by the family and Carman, along with Dother, have been reading the books eversince to gather information.

However, there was on book on the table the petite woman grabbed and turned to a particular page.

"Now that the Red-Eyes vessel has returned, we can find it more easily. And once we find it, we can begin the ceremony and bring back the weapon of our ultimate revenge." she explained.

Carman turned the book to show her sons what she was talking about. Dother, being the intelligent child and has read more books than his brothers, went wide eyed as he saw the chapter his mother showed them, a picture of a Red Eyes Black dragon, but much more sinister looking with a village burned beneath it.

Dother looks at his mother in disbelief, "You mean-"

Carman smirked, nodding her head as she answered her middle child's question, "I do...The Darkness Dragon.

Dian began to laugh hysterically, "Yes! The Darkness dragon, I can't wait!" he laughed like an excited child, with his green eyes filled with glee.

Dother sighed at his younger brother's childish behavior, "One bad bump on the head, and he'll never be the same again."

Dub crosses his arms and gives Dother a disappointed look, "Well, it was your fault for what happened to him."

Dother glared at his older brother, "Shut up! I didn't see that rock coming! If I had I would moved Dian out of the way before it hit him!"

Dub, not wanting to continue arguing ith Dother, returned his direction to his mother, "So the vessel, mother, how do we find him?"

Carman simply smirked.

* * *

Tristan and Serenity were sitting on the couch. Serenity had just got settled in and put her bagaged on the chair as she would be sleeping in the living room as Tristan's mother was occupying Joey's room.

Serenity had just calmed down about Joey's condition and the two were now having tea, talking and catching up.

Tristan set his cup down on the coffee table, "So when did you get back, Serenity?" he asked her.

Serenity sipped her tea and looked at Tristan with worry, "This morning. But I was having trouble finding you guys at first, I thought Joey would still be at his old apartment he shared with dad, but when I looked inside, I noticed all of his things were gone. But then I ran into Mr. Muto and he told me you and Joey moved into this apartment a couple of weeks ago." she explained.

Tristan was silent for a moment, "...So Joey never told you?"

Serenity sets her cup down and looks at Tristan with sad eyes, "...I can't believe he left home before he even graduated high school...why didn't Joey tell me things were this bad with dad? Now Joey's in the hospital because of him...why didn't he call the police or me or mom for help before this happened?"

Tristan shook his head, "He probably didn't want you to worry about him. He thought he could handle your dad until he left and didn't want to bother you or your mom about it since you have a better off without him, and he didn't want Jordan to ruin your life now that you got your eye operation and saved your sight and can now do your own thing."

Serenity felt disappointment and sadness, disappointment at her father for what he did to Joey and at Joey for not telling her about the abuse he endured since their parents divorce. Sadness because she understood why Joey never said anything since their father was the only blood family Joey had in Domino, and the fact that Joey didn't want Serenity to have to deal with him all over again since Jordan was the main source of their unhappy childhood. It was all to protect Serenity, as he always did.

"Do you really think my dad hurt Joey?" Serenity asked.

"Everyone's saying your dad did it, and the more I look at it, the more I agree with them. Your dad doesn't have a good reputation around these parts, and your brother and dad fought a lot up until Joey left him weeks ago. But now that all of this has happened, your dad has basically tied his own Knoose if he is the one who harmed Joey."

Serenity looked down, her eyes filled with tears, sorrow and anger, "I just can't believe he'd do that…to his own son, After everything Joey did for him. And Joey kept quiet and suffered all those years, living in poverty and having to deal with an alcoholic father who sometimes hits him or kicks him out onto the streets at night...and now this. And he never told me..."

The memories of her father were flooding Serenity's mind. She was terrified of her father when she was a little girl, she remember him coming home from the bar and would start cursing and breaking objects. The fights between him and her mother were brutal, as well as the fights between him and Joey, but what really hurt her remembering him was the fact that he blamed her for the family's financial problems because of her bad eyesight. Then her mother finally had enough and filed for divorce, but with the price of leaving Joey behind, and Serenity blaming herself for the family being torn apart for the disease she never asked to be born with.

Tristan wraps his arm around her shoulder to comfort the Auburn haired girl, surprising her as she snapped out from her thoughts. She looked up at the brunette man who smiled at her.

"It'll be okay, Serenity. Joey will get better, he's pulled through on us before in Battle city when Mark broght him down with lightening. If he can survive that, he can survive anything. Besides Joey's stubborn and can't be beaten that easily, and when he wakes up he'll be happy to see his little sister again. And when he does, you guys can go to his first tournament as a professional duelist where you can cheer him on."

Serenity blinked up at the taller boy, seeing his reassuring smile made her smile as well, only her's held sadness in her eyes, "Thanks, Tristan. That really means a lot to me, I'm glad you're here."

Tristan started to blush as Serenity smiled at him, and when he realized he had his arm on her he quickly backed away, "Oh! O-of course! I mean what are friends for right!?" he quickly stuttered and looked away.

Serenity was confused by Tristan's reaction, but before she could ask him, Tristan's mother peeks her head through the living room from the kitchen.

"Hey you two, dinner's ready. I hope you like raviolli!" Judith chirped.

Tristan turned his head quickly towards his mother's direction, still flushed in the face, "Okay, thanks mom." he said nervously.

Tristan got off the couch and was soon followed by a confused Serenity. Soon Tristan, Serenity and Judith went to the table and started to eat the pasta Judith prepared for them. Soon they began to talk, with Serenity and Judith introducing themselves to one another and Serenity and Tristan catching up with eachother since the last time they met.

Tristan decided to ask first, "So how've things been for you, Serenity? I heard you just finished your first year of high school."

Serenity smiled and nodded, "I have, I even ended up on the honor roll to this year. I plan to keep up with my grades and studies to get a scholarship after I graduate and head to one of the state colleges or universities."

After Serenity's eye operation, she wanted to start making more of her life, with her eyesight fixed and the world at her feet she began to plan a future for herself so she can live life to the fullist and do the things she dreampt of doing but thought she never could. Now that Serenity was ahead in school with her good grades, she started look into different colleges and universities to get a higher education after she graduates in two years.

Tristan smiled proudly, "That's great Serenity, Joey would be proud! I'm glad things are going well for you."

Serenity nodded, "Well, up until now things have been going pretty good. And not only that, my mom's getting married soon."

Tristan was shocked once again by the news. While he knew Joey's parents were divorced, he didn't know that Joey's mother found a new man in her life, nonetheless he was happy to hear Serentiy will have a new stepfather. Given that she and Joey had a less than perfect father, at least with Mrs. Wheeler's new fiance, Serenity will have a better father figure.

Judith was estactic for Serenity when she heard the news, "Oh, that's wonderful, dear! I'm so happy for your mother and you!"

Tristan nodded and smiled, " Yeah, congratulations Serenity! So when's the wedding gonna be?" he asked the Auburn haired girl.

"In about a month from now. Not only that, my mom wants me to be her Maid of Honor to." Serenity explained.

"That's awesome! You must be excited!"

Serenity smiles at the older teen,"Yeah," then her smile started to fade as she remembers her brother in the hospital, "I just hope Joey wakes up so he can be there too. Thomas wanted to meet him and told me he planned to invite him."

Tristan was silent from Serenity's last comment, seeing the sadness in the sweet girls eyes. It was breaking his heart as he kept looking at her.

Judith broke the silence and placed her hand on Serenity's shoulder, "Don't worry, Serenity. I'm sure Joey will make a full recovery, and he'll be so happy to know his little sister is in town to see him."

Tristan nodded in agreement and smiles, "Yeah, Serenity. If there's one thing I know about your brother, it's that he's too stubborn to miss out on something that important. You and his first tournament as a professional duelist, and now that you're here for the Summer, he'll be stoked for sure and it'll give him more confidence."

Serenity smiled a bit at the mother and son. Seeing their smiling faces and warm eyes reassuring her of Joey's recovery already brightened her spirits. It reminded her of Joey and how he gave her the courage to rise above the toughest moments oflife, and she knew he would want her to be strong now in their darkest hour.

Serenity nodded, "Yeah, family does mean the world to him. Thank you."

Tristan smiled, happy to see Serenity starting to smile again, "So Serenity, do you think your mom will come out to see Joey in the hospital?

Serenity shook her head, "I don't know." she said with uncertainty.

Judith was surprised by Serenity's response, "Why wouldn't she? Joey's her son. If I were in her position, I'd want to give my support if anything happened to Tristan or my other children." she said puzzled.

Serenity looked at the older Taylor, "I know, Judith, but mom didn't really say much about it. I think she was too much in shock when I told her what happened to Joey. She almost didn't even let me come out here."

"Really? Why is that, dear?" Judith asked surprised.

Serenity looked down, frowning but was also glaring to herself, "...Because she was afraid my dad would come after me." she said the last sentence in a bitter tone.

Judith and Tristan frowned at Serenity's statement.

The older woman had understood why her mother was hesitant about sending her only daughter in the place where that violent man was, as he is said to be the reason for Joey being in the hospital. Tristan told her about his violent tendancies since Joey was a child and that he wasn't the best father and how Jordan made Serenity the source of the blame for all his problems due to her illness, despite the fact that he physically abused Joey more.

It reminded her of her soon to be ex husband and the problems he caused her and her three children over the years

"I can understand why." Judith admitted.

Tristan, on the other hand, was lost in his thoughts and didn't say anything. His expression darkened at the mention of Serenity and Joey's mother.

 _"Tristan, don't tell Serenity what happend here today. She's already been through a lot and has finally gotten surgery, I don't want her to get upset."_

Tristan glares from the memory and looks up at his mother looking at him in confusion from his gloomy expression, then they turned to look back at Serenity. Judith smiled," Well, we're glad she changed her mind. Joey needs you, and it's clear you need him, Serenity."

Tristan nodded in agreement, "My mom's right, Serenity. It's like the message you had me give him during Battle City. You two are a team, forever, and he will pull through this."

Serenity smiled as she remembered telling that to Joey after she took off her bandages, seeing clearly and better for the first time in her life after spending half of it seeing shapes, shadows, having days where her sight was blurry and nearly seeing darkness. Her escape from seeing eternal darkness and gaining her second chance of living her own life with her improved eyesight was thanks to Joey making and keeping his promise to his little sister.

He also protected her from their father's drunken rage's and always promised her that things will be alright. Whenever she cried in the middle of the night from their parents fighting, he had her in bed reading her a story for comfort, or took her out when their parents would fight again, or if their mom was gone and their father was passed out on the couch from drinking to much and they would be in town or the beach.

He saved her and was there for her and made sure she was happy, now Serenty was determined to be there for her big brother.

She smiled, "We are a team."

Serenity looked to her side when something big and furry came and sat down beside her. She saw a pair of big black eyes starring at her with curiousity and affection in them, Blankey decided to go up and say hello to Serenity.

"Oh, hello." Serenity responded as she let Blankey sniff her hand, and then proceeded to pet the old German Shepard, who was enjoying Serenity's touch as her eyes were closing and her tail wagging from delight. Serenity smiled at the dog as she continued petting her.

Tristan and his mother were in disbelief, "Whoa."

Serenity looked at Tristan in confusion, "What is it, Tristan?"

"Blankey doesn't usually warm up to strangers that fast." Tristan explained as he continued to stare at Blankey in amazement as she is already close to Serenity, as if she had raised her since puppyhood. Blankey was always a guard dog as long as Tristan could remember, there was even a time Blankey bite a hole in Joey's pants when she saw them wrestling.

Joey still had the bite mark to prove it.

Judith smiled as Blankey laid down beside Serenity, "I guess she had a good feeling about you." the older woman spoke.

Serenity looked down at Blankey and continued petting her,"I guess so. You know, Joey and I always wanted a dog when we were kids, but our parents always said no." Serenity said the last sentence with a sad tone as she remembered her father saying, in his own words, he had two animals, refering to Joey and herself, in his house and that he didn't need another one with their mother telling her that animals are filthy and will make a mess.

Tristan noticed the auburned haired girl's sad expression and spoke out, "Well, as long as you're staying with us, Blankey's your dog now too. Besides she really likes you."

Serenity was surprised by Tristan's offer, but began to smile and nodded, "I appreciate that."

The three of them continued to eat their dinner in peace.

* * *

At Domino county jail, Jordan Wheeler was held in the interrogation room with an officer and detective. The older man glared at them with glassy brown eyes filled with anger and drowsiness, with handcuffs around his wrists and was wearing a blue jump suit. That was the first clean outfit he wore since his son left him and no longer did his laundry.

The room they were in was dark, with only the light from the ceiling lighting the middle where the table and three men were. When Jordan sobered up a bit and learnt why he was arrested when the police came to his apartment, he immediately tried escaping from their custody and started yelling he didn't attack Joey or, as he called him, his good for nothing shitty son, and that he wasn't going to jail. It was in vain however when the cops tasered him unconscious when he started getting violent, and hours later he woke up in a jail cell.

The detective sat in front of Jordan, with his hands on the table holding a document. He wore a grey suit and had slicked back black hair, with dark grey eyes as he looked at the older Wheeler with antipathy when he heard about what happened.

"So why did you do it, Mr. Wheeler?" the detective asked in a cold tone.

Jordan looked at the detective in fury and slammed his fists on the table, "I'm telling you for the last fucking time! I didn't attack that ungrateful brat or tried to kill him!" he snapped at the man.

The police officer stepped forward when Jordan slammed the table, ready to detain him if he decided to fight, he gave Jordan an icy glare for his comment, "I'd watch my mouth if I were you, Wheeler, saying things like that about your own son, considering what happened to him, and how you acted when you were being arrested and what you said just now, isn't gonna help your case. And it doesn't look good for you, given your history."

"What history?!" Jordan demanded.

The detective stands up and opens the document he had on the table, he began to read, "My men did some investigating when your son ended up in the hospital and when we had you taken into custody. It says here you've been laid off by numerous employers over the past nine years. Those reasons were failure to show up, failure to comply with orders, and that's only when you did show up, and with a hangover no less."

The police officer takes out another document from the detective and looks at Jordan, "Not to mention you've got quite a criminal record too."

Jordan snapped his head up and was still glaring at the men, "Yeah, well my kid's got a record too! He's not innocent himself!" Jordan barked at them, remembering how Joey was in a gang in Middle school and how he often got into trouble with the law, of course Jordan didn't care since he always thought Joey would become a failure before he got into dueling.

The police officer had a look of utter disgust from Jordan's comment, "Sure, but it's not exactly as lengthy as yours. He's only been charged with a few shoplifting cases and getting in fights in Middle school. But you?" the police officer reads the document, "Bar fights? Drunk driving? Excessive gambling? And domestic disputes between you and your ex-wife from when your son was young and your youngest daughter still lived with you. And when your son was in your custody, he always came to school with bruises and a bloody nose...and the teachers said that he looked like he was attacked by an adult but they couldn't figure out who did that to him, care to explain that?"

Jordan became angry, he knew he was defeated, "Okay, yeah, I did those things! But I didn't attack my son last night!" Jordan confessed, "when he told me he didn't want to see me again, I just walked away! Yeah I was pissed but I was done with him anyways, he walked out on me months ago and disowned me, he doesn't want anything to do with me either!"

Jordan suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest when he said those words outloud. The older man was confused as why he was feeling this way, he felt his body feeling strange and heavy, and his eyes heating up and watering a bit.

 _"Know this, pops, I did want to help you, and I did want us to be a family...but you took things too far, and I can't deal with this anymore. As far as I'm concerned, I have no father...and I never want to see you again...take care, Jordan."_

The officer and detective heard enough from the man. The detective takes the other file back from the officer and put the documents back in the envalope, "Well, it's not looking very good for you here, Mr. Wheeler. Knowing your history and now that it's public knowledge that you abused your son in his childhood, no one's going to believe your innocence and that you did infact cause your son's hospitalization. And if he dies, you could face a life sentence in prison, and all you did throughout this interview was call him names and blame him for everything. You just made yourself look even more guilty."

The door opens, and two security guards enter the interrogation room, lifting Jordan from his seat roughly, with the detective leaving the room, but the police officer stays and looks at Jordan with disapproval.

"And your son may have a record, but with a father like you, I can see why he was always in trouble. And from what I heard he is a famous duelist and was supposed to leave for a tournament before all of this, he was making something of his life...then you showed up and now he's in a coma, what will that tell people?"

Jordan didn't look at the officer and he continued speaking, "There's going to be a trial soon, Mr. Wheeler, and unless your son pulls through to tell us what happened that night and who really attacked him, nothing short of a miracle is going to save you. And you have done a lot of bad things in your life and to your son that will make everyone doubt you. Let that sink in."

The guards take Jordan back to his cell, the man didn't say a word nor did he try to fight the guards. Once he was inside his cell, he was silent and walked quietly to his sitting mat and sat down cross legged. Suddenly, tears started to fall down his cheeks.

* * *

After dinner, Tristan shows Serenity to Joey's room as she carried her bag. Since Serenity was going to stay in Domino during Joey's recovery, Tristan offered Serenity to stay in his and Joey's apartment and in her older brother's room.

Tristan opens the door and presented the room to Serenity, "Well, here it is, Joey's room." he announced in grimace he he knew what he was showing the young woman.

They look around Joey's bedroom, and it was a total mess. The bed was not made, there was paper, clothes and garbage all over the floor, and his garbage bin was completely full. Tristan was amazed that none of Joey's girl magazine's were on the floor, of course he was also grateful as he wouldn't want Serenity to see what her brother reads.

Tristan was sheepish and looked away in nervousness, "I know, it's not exactly a luxury hotel, given it's Joey's cave afterall."

Serenity smiles at Tristan, "It's okay, Tristan. I'm fine with it."

Tristan blinked in surprise, "Really, are you sure?"

Serenity nodded, "Yeah. Joey's room was a mess back when we were little, so it's like he's still here. Of course I should tidy up a bit in here...and find an air freshener." Serenity said sheepishly as she caught a whif of the air in her brother's room.

Tristan chuckles and smiles, "Well, I'm glad you're happy with it," then something caught the corner of his eye. To his alarm he saw one of Joey's magazine's, a girl in a microkini on the cover, was sticking out from under the bed, Tristan quickly went over and pushed the magaizine under the bed with his foot, blushing and looking nervous, "Uh, one thing though, don't look under his bed."

Serenity blinked in confusion, "Okay?" then Serenity started to yawns, "Well, I should probably get some sleep. I want to be early so I can see Joey in the hospital tomorrow."

Tristan nods in agreement,"Yeah, I'm a little tired too. I'll see you in the morning. Mom will make breakfast for us."

Tristan turns around to walk out of the room.

"Tristan?"

Tristan stopped on his track when Serenity called out his name. He turned around to face her, "Yeah?"

To his shock, Serenity comes up to him and and hugs him. She held on tightly,"Thanks for everything. You really are a great friend.""

Tristan was blushing madly, then he slowly starts to her back, smiling, "Anytime, Serenity."

Suddenly, Tristan's eyes snapped open when he realized what Serenity, _**"I'm still in the friendzone?! Come on!"**_ he shouted in his mind.

After Serenity lets him go, Tristan leaves the room and closes the door behind him. Minutes later when Serenity puts her pink pajama's on, she hears voices from behind the door. Curious, Serenity goes to the door and presses her ear against it, she hears Tristan and his mother talking.

 _ **"She is such a sweet girl, Tristan."**_ Serenity heard Judith speak.

 _ **"Yeah I know**_ **.** _ **"**_ Tristan replied to his mother.

Serenity blushed from Judith's compliment.

 _ **"So why didn't you tell me Joey's sister was your girlfriend?"**_

Serenity turned bright red and her heart started to race from Judith's words. Serenity heard Tristan squeak.

 _ **"Mom!"**_

Judith giggles, _**"Sorry, have I struck a nerve?"**_ she teased.

 _ **"Serenity's not my girlfriend, mom!"**_ Tristan exclaimed defensively.

It was silent for a moment, until Judith spoke again, _**"But you do like her a lot, right?"**_

As Serenity continued to listen, behind the door, Tristan closed his eyes and sighed in defeat, "It's that obvious, huh?" he looks at his mother with red cheeks.

Judith smiled at her youngest son, "A mother knows these things."

Tristan looks up and nods, "Yeah, I do like Serenity a lot, mom. I'm actually crazy about her."

Serenity gasped from Tristan's confession, but quickly covered her mouth so the mother and son wouldn't hear her. She slowly moves her hands from her mouth and was stunned.

"... _Tristan likes me like that?"_ she asked herself.

Tristan shakes his head with a defeated smile, "But it doesn't really matter."

Judith blinked in perplexion, "Huh? but why not?"

"...She says that I'm just a friend."

Judith frowned at her son's sadness, "Maybe you should tell her how you feel."

Tristan shook his head again,"I don't know if that'd do any good for me. She probably likes Duke better, he actually managed to score a date with her."

Serenity grimaces over the memory of her date with Duke. When he took her out for lunch, he was constantly flirting with the waitresses and girls who came over because they learnt who he was. While Duke was having a good time, Serenity ended up feeling like a piece of meat being ignored by him, and what made it worse for Serenity is that it her first date ever as she couldn't go out because of her illness before she got her surgery. She was hoping it would be special, but it turned out to be a disappointment.

But now hearing Tristan's confession, she felt absolutel guilty as she now knows that she did the same thing to him that Duke did to her.

Tristan continued, "Besides, the time isn't right, not with what's happening with Joey. I mean, I do wanna tell her how I feel, but I know I shouldn't. Not yet at least...but I'm scared she'll turn me down."

Serenity frowned from Tristan's words. She didn't know she had that much of an impact on the older boy, how could she have not known sooner?

Judith lifts Tristan's chin, "Then wait, Tristan. When the right moment comes, your heart will tell you that you're ready. But don't wait too long, or you'll lose her."

Tristan, while unsure, smiles at her, "Thanks mom."

When they left for bed, Serenity began to pace the room in panic and guilt. Tristan had just admitted he liked Serenity, he wanted to go out with her, and she never noticed!

Serenity's mind was racing, "Tristan likes me as more than a friend? I can't believe I called him a friend! Why haven't I seen this before!"

Serenity should have seen the signs, he was completely nice to her, and when Duke came along he got defensive whenever the raven haired boy got to close to her. Not only that, Tristan told her lies about training Joey and that Joey was winning the tournament at first while she was recovering in the hospital, at first she didn't know why he would do that, but now she realized that it was all to impress her. While she doesn't condone Tristan lying to her, she was surprised Tristan wanted her to like him that much.

What Tristan didn't know, was that in a way, Serenity liked him to. She was flustered by him as he was the first guy she ever had contact with, besides her older brother,as her mother didn't want any boys near her while she was still ill and even after she had surgery. When she went on her date with Duke, her mother disapproved a bit but still allowed it, but when Serenity came home and told her mother what happened, Serenity could have sworn her mother looked a bit to happy by the news.

However, Tristan was different from Duke. He wasn't a flashy guy like Duke, he was humble, besides lying about being a great duelist, and he had a great sense of humor, and to Serenity he was quite handsome.

Serenity sat on the bed, unsure what she should do. After her date with Duke, she decided to take a break from seeing boys for a while, and with Joey in the hospital she doesn't have time for a boy period, let alone Tristan who is her brother's best friend.

Serenity looks up at the cieling, _"I wish Joey were here. He'd know what I should do."_

Of course Serenity knew that when it came to boys, Joey would be guarding her like a German Shepard, and since it's Tristan he might try to beat him to a pulp.

Serenity turns her head, and to her surprise, she sees Joey's Duel Monsters deck on the nightstand. She started remembering what Joey and Yugi have always said about the Heart of the Cards, she takes the deck and she draws a card. To her surprise, it is the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Joey's favorite. She smiled at it as she hugged it close to her, it was a good sign.

Serenity looks out the window into the glowing city below her. She turns her attention back to Red Eyes, she knew she had a long road ahead of her, not only to make sure her brother gets well, but she also had a lot to make up for to Tristan for not realizing his feelings.

 _"Tristan's right. Now's not the time to give up. I have to focus on Joey first and make sure he pulls through. But then maybe...I could give Tristan a chance."_

Then Serenity shuts the lights off and heads into bed, waiting for dawn.

* * *

 _ **Don't forget to review:)**_


	6. Awakening

_**As some of you may not know, not only will I be posting this story on FFN, I also posted this story on DA if anyone would like to read it there. And soon I'll be making fanart of my story for DA.**_

 _ **I want to thank Autobot once again for helping me with this story, and all of you who read and review it.**_

 _ **Enjoy:)**_

* * *

Domino city lit up with the city lights of all colors, making it more delightful for the Domino residents who were out for a night in town. The people were walking to restaurants , clubs or simply walking down the streets, and families bringing their kids to the bright and colorful scenery.

In a near by five star hotel, Mai Valentine looks out from her hotel window and sighed. She looked down at the busy city and smirked, "This place hasn't changed much. Still as busy as always," suddenly, the beautiful woman started to frown and looked down at the floor, velvet eyes filled with guilt and uncertainty.

"...I wonder if the others are still mad at me for what happened?"

Mai wasn't sure if she should have come back to Domino city at first. Ever since the DOMA incident where she was out for Joey's blood, she basically severed her ties with the gang with her spouting her contempt for them for abandoning her in her darkest hour, or so she thought they did. It was only until Joey lost his soul by her hands that she realized her friends, Joey especially, had never abandoned her at all, and that her rampage against Joey was because of how people viewed her as a dead last compared to Yugi, Joey and Seto Kaiba after losing in Duelist kingdom and Battle city.

Along with the fact that she had constant nightmare's about Yami Marik suffocating her in the hour glass, symbolizing her fears of feeling weak and alone according to the Psychiatrist she was seeing after DOMA disbanded.

Mai traveled the world again and was rediscovering her love for Duel monsters, and to heal from the trauma Yami Marik put her though. She started winning competitions again, and she ended up meeting the people who talked behind her back and laughed at her the night Valon took her in DOMA, where she was able to show them how wrong they were about her.

As well as ask them if they ever dueled either Yugi, Seto or Joey for that matter, which they were all silent as many witnesses stared on while the people in question were embarrassed. It ended it with her flipping her golden blonde curls as others snickered at the people she confronted, that was proof that Mai Valentine was back, confidence, sass and all.

Despite getting her confidence back, she knew that she would face serious consequences from the gang for what she did to them as Dartz's soldier over her unresolved issues, regardless of her own trauma, she knew she had no right to take it out on them. Her guilt resurfaced when she found out about Joey's recent condition and immediately got a plane ticket from America to head to Domino.

When the news broke out about Joey being attacked by his father by the media, along with the news telling Joey's story about his abusive childhood with his father, it made Mai hate herself all over again. Knowing that Joey suffered a life of abuse from his own father, along with the fact that he, a nine year old boy, had to get a job to pay for school and the rent for his and his father's apartment boggled her mind and boiled her blood, but most of all it broke her heart for him.

And the fact that his father is the reason that Joey's mother divorced him and what separated him from his little sister for seven years, it made Mai call Vivian to help her calm her down from unleashing her Harpy ladies to find Joey's father to tear him to pieces.

Mai stopped pacing and sat on her bed and turned the television on. A news woman with short brown hair wearing an ocean green suit appeared and started her report after a story of a cat dressed up as Blue Eyes White dragon went viral on Social Media.

 _ **"In other news, we have an update on the condition of famous duelist, Joey Wheeler."**_

Mai froze when she heard Joey's name and continued starring at the screen. She increased the volume to listen.

 _ **"After being in critical condition, Mr. Wheeler is now stable. Wheeler was hospitalized after a supposed attack from his father, Jordan Wheeler. Strangely enough, that very same night when Joey Wheeler was sent to the hospital and Jordan Wheeler's warrant for his arrest was signed, there were reports that a holographic image of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon appeared above the city. While Kaiba Corp has denied any involvement in this, many people find it strange that those two incidences happened coincidentally, as the Red-Eyes Black Dragon is regarded as Joey Wheeler's mascot monster as he won it from Rex Raptor, the ex dueling star, when he competed in Duelist Kingdom."**_

Mai turns off the TV and started shaking. Hearing that the Red Eyes Black dragon was flying across Domino city that fateful night was bringing back memories of DOMA, when she took part in bringing real life duel monsters into the world that nearly ended all of humanity.

Hearing that the Red Eyes, Joey's mascot duel monster since day one of his dueling career, appeared in Domino city was alarming to the beautiful blonde. She had been on enough adventures with Yugi and DOMA to know that when real duel monsters show up in the human world, trouble was coming. And Joey was the one in danger.

Mai held her head, contemplating what to do, whether to go to Joey to warn him or stay away as she feared what he and the others would say for her betrayal. Despite coming all the way to Domino to make sure he was alright, seeing him in the flesh nearly a year alter after trying to kill him was another matter.

 _"Joey…I can't see him now. Not after what happened...what will the others say!?"_ she exclaimed in her head.

Mai could hear it now, the angry voices of Tea, Yugi, Tristan and Duke calling her a traitor and how she jumped to conclusions in joining DOMA intent on killing Joey and Yugi for glory and to attempt to put her trauma with Marik behind her. How her excuse was because Joey and Yugi made her feel weak and abandoned her when she was the one who never reached out to them when they could have helped her from the beginning.

Ah Mai held her head in fear, she heard a roaring sound in her head.

 _ **"Go to him."**_

Mai opened her eyes, tears threatening to come out, she heard the voice again. It sounded stern and commanding yet gentle and diligent, almost like a powerful entity was guiding her.

 _ **"Go to him."**_

Mai closes her eyes again and tears up a bit. She didn't know where that rare voice of reason came from, whether from her Psychologist or a guardian angel, Mai knew the day would come where she would have to face what she's done. And she was already in Domino wanting to see Joey again, and it was going to be a painful recovery for both of them, Joey physically and Mai mentally.

Mai wanted to be by his side, and let him know how sorry she is and make things right.

"...I have to see him…"

* * *

The rays of the sun was hitting Serenity's sleeping face as it began to rose over Domino city. As it hit her eyes lids, olive eyes opened as the young girl started to groggily wake up. She sat up and stretched as she let out a big yawn, with the sunlight now fully on her body, making her messy auburn hair reflect the light.

She looks out the window and had a tired smile as she looked at the city with the people getting ready for their day. It was so different compared to Haiku, the neighborhood she lived in after her parents divorce was quiet and the community was small with not that many people since it was in the countryside, which was eight thousand miles away from Domino. Last time she was in the city was when Tea gave her a tour before she left for home, where there were large crowds of people and many places to see, it was lively and Serenity had a great time and deeply missed the large city afterwards when she returned home.

Unfortunately, her reason for being in Domino this time was not under the best circumstances, and she is still in fear for her brother's well-being, and will soon face the man who she called her father to confront him for his abuse on her older brother that spanned over eight years since she and her mother left as a child. The thought of him inspired both fear and anger in the young girl.

Suddenly, there was a knock on her door, "Serenity, are you up?" the feminine voice from the other side was Judith, "I made breakfast."

Serenity rubs her eyes, "Yeah, I'll be out in a bit, Judith." she answered groggily as she tries to wake up.

"Okay. Don't take too long or it'll get cold." the older Taylor woman replied.

Serenity got out of her bed, got dressed into a yellow T-shirt with a white skirt while putting on a pair of pink socks and white shoes. She stands in front of the mirror as she grabbed her hair brush and started brushing her long hair.

Meanwhile, Judith goes into the kitchen when Tristan is eating his breakfast, the traditional bacon and eggs while Judith sat down with him, drinking a cup of black tea.

While Tristan was eating a piece of bacon, Judith starts t speak to her son.

"So you think you'll tell her today?"

Tristan nearly choked on his bacon from his mother's words. When he grabbed a glass of milk to wash down the bacon, he gasped and looked at her with wide-eyes and ended up with a huge milk mustache.

"Really mom? It's still too soon, I can't just bring that up like that!" he imparted in embarrassment, his cheeks burning red.

Judith giggles, "I'm just saying, sometimes it's better not to wait. Remember what happened with the other girl you liked? Miho Nosaka was it?" she asked.

Tristan grimaced at his mother's words, "Please don't remind me. And besides, Serenity's different from Miho. Miho was a sweet girl, and I might've had feelings for her too at the time, but it's…different with Serenity. Serenity's-"

"Special?" Judith finished for him.

Tristan nodded," Exactly," he started blinking and looked at his mother in surprise, "Wait, how'd you know I was gonna say that?"

Judith smiled at him, "Oh…intuition...and you have a milk mustache dear."

Tristan realized this as well and wiped his mouth. Memories of Tristan's first love came flooding into his mind when Judith brought up Miho's name. The innocent giggles, the long shiny violet hair that was tied in a yellow ribbon that earned her the nickname 'ribbon' in school, and how he was head over heels for that girl.

Tristan saw Miho as a goddess the moment he laid eyes on her, he did everything at her command and was basically her loyal servant of love. Of course, while Tristan was blind and was oblivious of Miho taking advantage of him at times, he was content being of use to her and showing her his love for the girl.

But all that changed in their second year of high school when she announced that she was moving from the country with her family. It crushed Tristan as he realized the girl he loved was moving away, and when she left he couldn't leave his room for days until Joey and Yugi dragged him out. It took weeks for Tristan to get over her, and during that time the boys had to be the one to snap him out of his depression and encouraged him that there will be other girls. As Joey put it "There's more fish in the sea, buddy! Just try not to find the ones floating at the top or are in the deep, those are the dangerous ones."

And Tristan decided to take his best friends advice. Slowly but surely Tristan was able to recover from Miho's departure. And when Joey showed Serenity's picture for the first time, seeing Serenity's innocent olive eyes, her beautiful face and long shiny Auburn hair that reminded him of of both a sun rise and sunset, Tristan fell in love all over again. But he knew that Serenity was not going to be easy to court on the count that his best friend is her big brother and he would't hesitate to take down any guy down who was after his sister.

Serenity's door opened, and Judith and Tristan looked up and saw the young Wheeler dressed for the day. Tristan blushed but quickly looked away so she wouldn't notice

"Good morning, everyone." Serenity greeted warmly.

Tristan drank his milk again, but avoided eye contact with Serenity. He couldn't believe how cute she looked in that yellow shirt and skirt. "H-hey, good to see you're up." he stuttered a bit.

Serenity looked at Tristan, her cheeks turning red a bit as she remembered last night.

 _"Yeah, I do like Serenity a lot, mom. I'm actually crazy about her."_

The words echoed in her head, she continued looking at Tristan, who wasn't looking at her. She became nervous and quickly asked Judith, "So what's for breakfast, Judith?"

Judith smiled, "Anything you like. Tristan's having eggs and bacon, I made some Chocolate chip pancakes and sausage if you like some?"

Serenity's eyes lit up, "Mmmm, sounds good."

Judith giggled at Serenity's reaction, "I'll serve some up for you."

"Thanks Judith."

Judith heads to the oven while Serenity sat at the table across from Tristan. Tristan continues eating his breakfast, while Serenity was wondering what to say to him. The confession she heard from Tristan and Judith's conversation left Serenity in complete uncertainty and guilt, however, she would like to get to know Tristan more and fact he said he liked her with such sincerity, she wasn't going to lie, it made her feel good.

Serenity decided to break the silence, "Your mom's a nice lady, Tristan."

Tristan looks at Serenity, while trying to be as calm as possible, "Yeah, she sure is. She's been taking care of me and my brother and sister since we were born."

Serenity smiled and nodded,"So if you don't mind me asking, why is she staying here? And where is your dad?" she asked him.

Tristan forms a nervous expression on his face. He wasn't sure if he should tell Serenity about his parents recent divorce, especially when Joey is still in the hospital and bringing up bad dad's since her father is accused of hurting him would probably bring a damper to Serenity's mood.

Judith, hearing Serenity's question as she came in with the pancakes and sausage, looked at Tristan, "It's okay, Tristan. You can tell her." she told him.

Tristan, surprised his mother gave consent to tell the young girl, nods at her then turns back to Serenity," My parents just got divorced, Serenity."

Serenity's eyes widened in shock, then they lowered in sympathy, "Oh I see, that's…I'm really sorry, Tristan." she tells him apologetically, as she knew the pain of having divorced parents all to well. While he father was an alcoholic who destroyed her family in the first place, it was still sad for any marriage to end and for a family to break apart.

Judith frowned, "What about me, Serenity?"

Serenity became flustered, feeling insensitive to her as she was the who's been divorced, "Oh sorry, Judith, I didn't mean-"

Judith began to laugh, "No worries, Serenity, I'm just giving you a hard time. I do that with everyone I like."

Serenity blushed from Judith's joke, "Oh…" Serenity smiles a bit, but then the smile faded, "Well still, I'm sorry for both of you."

Tristan smiled at her, "It's alright, Serenity. If there's anyone who'd know what going through a divorce is like, it's you."

Serenity nodded sadly as she remembered when her parents divorced. but she knew it was for the best as she saw the monster her father was becoming. The only tragedy from the divorce was that it costed her being with Joey as he had to stay with his father, while she lived far away with her mother, "Yeah…"

Judith served Serenity's breakfast and sat down, "But it's better this way."

Serenity blinked, "What do you mean?"

Tristan narrowed his eyes remembering his father, "Let's just say my dad isn't exactly father of the year."

Serenity began to worry, "You mean...was he like?..."

Tristan shook his head, "Not like yours. But he was a control freak, and my older siblings don't talk to him anymore, in fact he had me work in the factory after graduating high school. But I hated working there so much I quit to work as a mechanic while working part time at Duke's shop, but my dad disowned me for breaking 'family tradition'."

"Family tradition?" Serenity asked curiously.

Judith continued for Tristan, "You see, dear, during World War two the Taylor men worked in the manufacturing factory in order to bring the family out of poverty. The factory paid very well sure, but during Tristan's great grandfather and my father in law's time, things were also very Conservative, where the women had to be the homemakers and the men had to work. It was breaded into my soon to be ex-husband's bones and since then, he lead our family in the traditional and Conservative way."

Tristan looked down and frowned, "And that caused a lot of problems for our family, everything we did was never good enough for him nor were we allowed to really make our own choices...in fact, it was because of what he did to us when we were young, I became somewhat a thug myself in school before Joey and I met Yugi." Tristan voice hinted regret as he remembered how he and Joey used to bully Yugi.

Tristan was ashamed how he and Joey used to be back in High school whenever he remembered his past. He knew Yugi never did anything to them but hated how naive Yugi was when it came to the real world, especially when he and Joey came from harsh backgrounds and Yugi represented what they've lost a long time ago; innocence.

But when Yugi stood up for them against Ushio, the school Hall monitor and leader of the Disciplinary group in Domino high who abused his power, Joey and Tristan realized that Yugi wasn't what they expected. Just because he was innocent, that didn't mean he was ignorant of the bad things that happened in life, and they saw that the boy they picked on had the biggest heart there was and the courage that they didn't have when facing the world.

It made Tristan and Joey realize that regardless of how bad things get, there's always a light at the end of the tunnel for everyone to be redeemed. And they thank Yugi everyday for giving them redemption and a chance to become better than their families.

Serenity frowned at Tristan's story. While she was shocked and a little disappointed that he and her big brother were bullies at one point, it made her sad that they became that way because their father's made their lives at home terrible.

Serenity took Tristan's hand, surprising Tristan as she looked at him with big olive eyes, "I'm sorry that happened, Tristan. But I'm happy you and big brother managed to become better people thanks to Yugi, it was also thanks to him that he helped Joey become a duelist and win the prize money for my eye surgery, and you are able to become a kinder person and friend."

Tristan was still registering that the girl he liked was actually holding his hand, he started to smile at her while blushing, "Thanks Serenity."

Serenity smiled back, "You're welcome, Tristan. And in a way, maybe it's a good thing."

Tristan blinked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Serenity, noticing her hand was on Tristan's, quickly took it off and blushed as she continued talking, "Well I mean is if your father disowned you, then maybe it's a way for your family to start over with you and your siblings to be a proper family without your father causing problems to you guys. Think of it as a fresh start, a rebirth of the Taylor family," Serenity looked away, embarrassed by her words, "Oh, sorry it must sound silly." she said flustered.

Judith was surprised, she never thought of it in that way before. Serenity was already impressing Judith more and more as the young girl was showing wisdom beyond her years, "That's a good way to look at it, Serenity. You're right, now that Troy is gone my family can heal from years of his control and unrealistic expectations and we can move forward."

Serenity, still blushing a bit, smiled, "Well thank you for thinking I don't sound cheesy, Judith."

"You've really grown up since I last saw you." Tristan complimented Serenity.

Tristan swore he could feel his heart grow bigger each time he was near Serenity. Now he understood why she was Joey's inspiration.

Serenity smiles at the mother and son, but then her smile fades as she began to think, it was something that was on her mind since she left Haiku to Domino.

Serenity looks at Tristan with a determined expression, "Tristan, I want to ask you a favor."

"Anything."

"...Today I'm gonna go see Joey in the hospital, but first...I want to see my dad."

Tristan and Judith were silent with pure shock on their faces.

Tristan broke the silence, "Why Serenity?"

Serenity looked at the table as she continued, "It's something I have to do."

Tristan leaned towards her with concern, "But Serenity, you know how your dad feels about you. If he saw you were back in Domino, it could be dangerous."

Serenity shook a little, memories of her father's violent outbursts and his insults filled her mind, causing her to sweat and to be wide-eyed in fear.

 _"You're the one who caused this, you little brat! The debt collectors won't leave us alone and you keep making it worse for being so goddamn sick!"_

 _"Because of you we're sinking lower and lower with each damn doctors appointment we make! Your eyesight is shit and we're paying the price for it! I hope you go blind soon so this can be over and done with, and don't think you'll live here when it happens! I'm not supporting a blind daughter who's already drained me of everything I had, I'd rather dump you in state custody so I'll have one less pest to deal with!"_

 _"Your brother is garbage, but at least he's useful while you're a waste of, especially when you'll be blind as a bat someday!"_

 _"I hate you, Serenity! You ruined my life and this family the moment you came out of your mother! Joseph is a burden himself, but you and your eyes are a curse! You should never have been born in the first place! You destroyed this family with your very existence!"_

Serenity closed her eyes tightly, then opened them again with snow drops of tears falling as she regained her composure, "I know, but I need answers about what happened to Joey...I want answers from that man for what he's done."

Tristan tilted his head, "Answers? But the police already said that he doesn't remember what happened that night."

Serenity looked at him, surprising Tristan as her eyes began to harden, "I'm not just talking about him attacking Joey."

Tristan began to worry more when he saw the tears in Serenity's eyes,"But Serenity-"

"It's something important to Serenity, dear," Judith cut in, "If she says that she has to do this, then we should let her."

Tristan was unsure. While Jordan should answer for his crimes, he was afraid for Serenity's well being as she would be facing the man who not only was accused of putting his best friend in a coma, but who also abused her since she was a little girl and who was obviously still traumatized by him years later.

But in his heart, he knew Serenity was not a little girl anymore, and this was her time to confront him for not only his treatment of Joey, but also for Serenity to have closure with her former abuser.

Tristan let out a huge sigh, knowing Serenity wanted this more than anything, "Okay. But I'm coming with you. I need answers from him too, and I want to make sure you'll be safe from that bastard."

Serenity nodded in agreement, "Sure," she leans over the table and hugged him, "Thanks Tristan."

As Tristan hugged her back, Serenity suddenly shot her eyes open. In her mind she began to hear a growl and two red eyes opened in pure darkness, with the growling getting louder with the sound of chains clanking from behind, and Serenity started to hear large footsteps being taken, and the red eyes were getting bigger to Serenity.

"Serenity? Serenity!?" Judith called Serenity, causing Serenity to jump and be brought back to reality, "Are you alright, dear?"

Serenity broke her hug from Tristan, breathing slightly heavy with her heart pounding a bit as she looked around the room.

"Y-yeah, I'm okay Judith." Serenity said assuringly, even though she was in shock.

Serenity didn't know what happened, she had no idea why she had such a strange thought. It was as if she was a dream for a second-or nightmare as the red eyes made Serenity shiver.

But she pushed that thought from her mind as she and Tristan got up from the table. They cleaned up the kitchen and Serenity and Tristan said their goodbyes to Judith as they head out to the city to Domino county jail. the place where Serenity will soon be face to face with the man who she hadn't seen in over eight years, who abused her and her brother since childhood and who was the main reason their family was destroyed and why she and Joey were separated.

Serenity Elizabeth Jacob Wheeler was determined to see her father pay for his crimes once and for all.

* * *

 _ **Finally chapter six is done! I apologize for the long wait, many things came up this year but I promise to continue more on this story! Looks like now Serenity is ready to face her father after many years, how do you think it'll go down? And what do you think will happen to Joey in his dream, who is that large creature in the cloak he met? All will be revealed in the next chapter!**_

 _ **Thank you for your patience and don't forget to leave a review!**_


End file.
